


Regency

by InitialA



Series: Regencyverse [2]
Category: Sailor Moon - All Media Types
Genre: Apocalypse, Canon - Anime, Canon - Manga, Civil War, Complete, Crystal Tokyo Era, Drama, F/F, F/M, Family, Female Friendship, Fights, Friendship, Gen, Japan, Mixed Canon, Modern Era, Nuclear Warfare, Nuclear Winter, Politics, Psychological Drama, Romance, Starvation, Time Travel, United Nations
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-27
Updated: 2012-11-01
Packaged: 2017-11-06 02:24:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 54,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/413675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InitialA/pseuds/InitialA
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>My name is Chiba Usagi. I'm 23 years old. And, as I'm quickly learning, even when you know your future… nothing ever goes as planned.</p><p>-mixed manga and anime canon-</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> http://initiala.tumblr.com

She’d surprised everyone by majoring in political science. Well, that wasn’t as much a surprise as her acceptance into college to begin with, but the peace that had fallen after their first year in high school made it much easier to concentrate on her studies—Ami’s insistence that their Queen could not be an unintelligent fool had stung enough to motivate her as well. Usagi felt that—and the others agreed—to be a competent ruler she should have some idea of what she was doing. It had been hard, and much less fun than goofing off at the arcade. However, with Mamoru studying abroad and even Minako realizing that no one stayed carefree and childlike forever, the usual hi-jinks and distractions faded away and all of the girls managed to graduate from high school with acceptable grades. College was even less of a picnic—particularly since Ami had been accepted to a much more prestigious university than any of the girls and was unable to help—but over time everyone slowly adjusted and discovered their own paths.

Rei had gone to school to refine her skills as a priestess. She still composed music, but she often said her family duties were more important than her hobbies; Minako had promised to hire her out as her first songwriter, though, so it offered some hope that Minako’s time spent in performance school would come to fruition. However, Minako had been having more luck—and more fun, as it were—working backstage and plotting the scripts and direction of the shows she had once aspired to be on. Managing the Three Lights—as well as her overactive imagination and tactical skills as a warrior—had given her a taste of power. She liked molding her idols to perfection—but she still promised Rei that the first chance she was able to find a singer, she would buy out Rei’s entire discography.

Makoto had gone to culinary school and studied flower arranging at night. Somehow in all of this, she’d managed to hook a fellow culinary student—a young man named Hiro—on her cherry pies. This was the running joke anyway, cheerfully encouraged by Hiro himself; the pair were often found dreaming up new recipes together, surrounded by cookbooks and calling Usagi to come over and to taste-test. Usagi was, of course, only too happy to oblige and spent the time not eating giving Makoto suggestive looks. Makoto only blushed happily. Ami had been accepted into a difficult pre-med program designed to advance the students to medical school in three years—instead of the usual four—and as it was a year-round program her friends rarely saw her. Occasionally she would join Usagi at a library to study in mutual silence, but past that she had little time for fun outside of her usual regimen of studying and lab work.

Usagi and Mamoru had married between her junior and senior year; and compliant with the established timeline, they welcomed their own Chibi-usa not long after her graduation. Mamoru was entering his residency at a local hospital at this point, and she put off her own career to raise her daughter. Now, however, she was 23 years old and still waiting for the future as she knew it to come to pass.

Usagi had been accepted into a low-ranking position in the National Security Council, knowing a little something of warfare and defense as well as politics. Her mother had offered to care for Chibi-usa while she and Mamoru were at work during the day; Mamoru was still trying to get his schedule changed to work the night shift at the hospital, so he and Usagi would not have to rely on her parents to care for Chibi-usa. As the days passed, and she grew accustomed to the new work and learned the ways to get around security procedures, Usagi learned more about the state of the world than she realized was being kept from the Japanese people. She was troubled by this, and wondered often to her husband why, when the world was in such a state of disarray, she had yet to be called upon as it had been foretold. “You worry too much, Usako,” he would often reply.

“I know, Mamo-chan, but… I’m afraid that we may have done something wrong,” Usagi would reply.

Eventually, he suggested that she speak to Setsuna, if she was that concerned. Mamoru never seemed too concerned about the timeline, but even as Usagi was not entirely prepared to take on the mantle of queen, she had learned long ago that refusing her destiny would never lead to any good. And so, she called Setsuna and asked her to come over the following Sunday to talk.

On the Sunday where our story begins, Mamoru took Chibi-usa out for a father-daughter day. Usagi teased him that the child was only one, and wouldn’t know the difference between father-daughter and mother-daughter; he merely laughed her off and left her to discuss her worries with her guardian.

Setsuna arrived promptly at one o’clock, and found her Princess making snacks in the kitchen. “Usagi-chan, it’s been a while.”

Usagi turned and beamed. “Setsuna! I’m glad you could make it. Please, sit down.”

Setsuna sat at the table, and Usagi brought over a tray of small sandwiches and tea. As she poured, Setsuna regarded the younger woman carefully. “You sounded concerned on the phone, Usagi.”

Usagi’s eyebrows furrowed slightly. “There’s been a lot on my mind lately. I just had a few questions; Mamo-chan thought you would be the best person to ask about it.”

“By all means.”

They each took a sandwich, and Setsuna waited for Usagi to find her words. Usagi mostly fiddled with hers, tearing at the bread. “When we met, before you were reincarnated, King Endymion told us a lot about the future. Actually, he told us more than he should have… which is why I’m so worried.”

Setsuna sighed. “And now you know the curse of knowing the future.”

Usagi nodded. “But a lot of what he said was supposed to happen, it never did. Well, Mamo-chan and I got married, and we had Chibi-usa… and we did all of that when we were supposed to! I mean…” She blushed a deep scarlet. “We would have anyway, I think, but we knew we were supposed to have Chibi-usa when I was 22. And I’m supposed to stop aging by now. How can I tell if I’ve stopped aging? And I’m supposed to have saved the world from an ice age by now, and become Queen. I’m 23, and none of that has happened!”

Setsuna took a drink, and set the cup down gently. “Well, I can tell you from experience that you won’t notice right away if you’ve stopped aging. We can worry about that part later. As for the other… Usagi, time is not a linear progression… well, it can be linear, but it branches off into other linear timelines. Each action we make in the present creates new futures. It’s very complicated.”

“So… what does that mean for this problem?”

“Simply speaking, the future you knew? It’s not the future you will enter.”

“And that’s because…”

“You made different choices than the Serenity of that future. And you confronted different enemies. Did you ever think why Serenity would have allowed the Black Moon Family to attack if she had known about it?” Setsuna asked. “No one would allow their daughter to go through that, not even if her powers have yet to awaken.”

Usagi had to give her that. “So that future had never fought the Black Moon Family in the past, I get that. But was that supposed to be our future originally? And if it changed, why was Chibi-usa able to keep coming back to a timeline that veered away from her version of the future?”

“Yes, it was to be your future, but with the Black Moon Family coming back to the past—Chibi-usa coming back to the past—that future changed. The only reason you were able to enter that point in the future, and why Chibi-usa was able to return to this point in the past, is because she was the anchoring point to both. She existed in both timelines, and couldn’t return to a different one. She existed still in this timeline—you and Mamoru-sama and your guardians remembered her—and was thus able to return to it.”

Usagi nodded, slowly understanding. “And as her biological parents we were still part of her future’s past, at some point, which is why the future became unstable and she had to come back when Mamo-chan was killed by Galaxia.”

“Right,” Setsuna nodded.

Usagi sighed, and rested her chin on her hand, looking out the window. While she hated to see the younger woman under duress, Setsuna enjoyed the rare moments when Usagi was so serious and contemplative. She knew her Princess was intelligent, and these moments showed her turning over a thousand thoughts in her mind to come up with a solution. “Is it possible,” Usagi said suddenly, “that we have chosen a path where we do not become the Earth’s rulers?”

It was Setsuna’s turn to be contemplative. “Well… I suppose it is possible. I have not looked into the time stream in some time.”

“The ice age, though…”

“…is not a fixed point in time. It occurred in one future, and not in another.”

“I see. Are none of these foretold events fixed points?”

“Only those that you and Mamoru have already taken. You have corrected the mistakes of the past by marrying and carrying on the royal lineage in Chibi-usa. What comes next… Chibi-usa must become the next bearer of the Silver Crystal. How that occurs is up to the fates. Chibi-usa may grow to be a normal girl who becomes a normal woman, or she may grow to be a princess who becomes a queen.”

Usagi let out a nervous giggle. “So the burden of the future is not so much of a burden after all… except for the uncertainty now. I was expecting so much, but now I don’t know what to think…”

Setsuna reached over the table and covered Usagi’s free hand with hers. “I wish I could ease your mind, Usagi-chan. I can look into the time stream, but I cannot guarantee an easy or exact answer. As I said before, each choice we make changes the future. I have seen dozens of futures for us. And some events are even obscured from me; as I am part of the established timeline, some events that affect my personal future are forbidden to my knowledge. Big events that change the course of all that we know. It is likely that I would not be able to see such an event if that is what lies in our future.”

Usagi smiled gently. “Thanks, Setsuna, but knowing the future put me into this fit to begin with. I might actually be able to enjoy life like a normal person now! I appreciate you coming over.”

Setsuna smiled in return, but she was still focused on Usagi’s last question. Was it possible that the future kingdom would not come to pass at all? This was something to contemplate.

**

Later that week, Usagi was looking for her boss; her arms were full of papers that needed to be signed, and _no one_ was around to sign them. She sighed exasperatedly, pushing her bangs out of her eyes. Hikaru, another assistant, was also wandering around with a large pile of papers. She grinned. “It’s like they all vanished at once because they knew work had to be done!”

Usagi laughed. “I know the feeling.”

There was a nagging sensation at the back of her mind, but she brushed it off. She would have to check her schedule later to be sure she wasn’t missing any important appointments, but she also knew she had worked over lunch and hadn’t been able to call her mother like usual. She was just missing her lunchtime talk with her mother and her daughter, and that was all. Usagi snapped out of her thoughts when she saw an upper level employee hurrying out of one door and down the hall. “Excuse me! Please, wait!”

The man paused and looked back. His face was paler than it should have been and he looked anxious. “Can I help you? Miss… er…”

“Chiba. Mrs. Chiba. And I’m looking for Mr. Fushikenwa?” Usagi turned on the helpless doe-eyes. “He’s my superior, and I have all of these documents for him… he absolutely _must_ look over them, they’re important.”

The man pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “I… fine. I don’t have time to argue this. Follow me, but be careful not to disturb anyone else. And I must warn you,” he said as he started walking, Usagi at his heels, “not to discuss anything going on in this room or ask any questions that do not relate to this paperwork with your boss. This is past your security clearance.”

Usagi’s eyebrows rose, but she said nothing. It must be important. She followed him through several corridors until they reached a rather foreboding-looking metal door. Her guide had to swipe a key card and press his hand against a scanner before a thick, dull ‘clank’ signaled the door unsealing. She hurried after him before she was locked out, and tried not to gape at what lay beyond.

It was just like all of the movies depicted. Men and women wearing headsets sat before dozens of lighted keyboards and large screens that took up parts of the walls. Maps were being zoomed in on and supervisors were barking into telephones. Usagi knew better than to ask what was going on, and sound her way through the desks and down the stairs to Mr. Fushikenwa, who stood watching a younger man type furiously and speaking rapidly into the headset he wore. Usagi caught a few words that sounded like foreign cities, but she did her best to focus on her own task. ‘ _It’s more than my job’s worth to find out more than this…_ ’

“I know you’re there, Chiba, just give me a moment,” Mr. Fushikenwa said quietly to her.

“Yes, sir.”

Thankfully her boss was more lenient than some of the others in the NSC; she didn’t expect much trouble for coercing her way into a top-security observation center. She looked around nervously, not wanting to catch on to more than she was supposed to, but words like ‘terrorist organization’, ‘scouting force’, and ‘suspicious activity’ kept coming at her. She fought to keep her face neutral; she hadn’t needed to transform into Sailor Moon more than a handful of times in the past eight years, and even then the threats had been mild compared to Galaxia and the Chaos at the center of the galaxy.

Usagi and her guardians had been on guard after the terrorist attacks in the United States several years back, but the threat against Japan was milder in comparison. It was part of the reason she had wanted to go into politics: she had never truly understood why there was so much war and strife in such a supposedly civilized age and understanding that particular dance might help her grasp the bigger picture. She’d specialized in foreign diplomacy, but her heart was in Japan and she hoped she could do half as well from home as she would have been able to abroad. Being in this room, monitoring the kinds of activities she and her friends had been monitoring from the basement of the arcade so many years ago… she felt a strange sense of longing. ‘ _I’ve actually missed this,_ ’ Usagi thought with a bit of a wry grin. Wait until Rei-chan heard about that.

Her boss turned to her. He still kept his voice down. “Alright, Chiba, what was so important that you had to use those eyes of yours to get in here?”

She smiled sheepishly. “Fushikenwa-san knows me too well. There’s some paperwork the Prime Minister needs right away, and I just wanted you to review the highlighted points before I retyped it—”

The rest of her request was cut off by a woman screaming across the room. “Ho Chi Minh City! They… I can’t believe they actually did it!”

She wasn’t even scolded for her manners. Another man barked a command, and all of the monitors on the wall changed to a sight that sent nervous jitters through Usagi’s veins. A large cumulus cloud showed on the satellite view of the otherwise fair-skies South China Sea. An infrared satellite video feed popped up; the angle made it difficult to fully understand what it was showing until someone made the command to rotate the camera. Despite the coloring, it was impossible to mistake the mushroom cloud for anything else.


	2. Chapter 2

Everyone was silent, watching the video feed with varying degrees of horror on their faces. Several tense minutes passed; while none of them were old enough to remember the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, their parents and grandparents had passed on their own stories. No one in Japan treated nuclear warfare lightly. Usagi’s eyes filled with tears. She covered her mouth with her hand and fell to her knees with a choked sob.

The simple noise broke the stunned silence, and people started talking all at once; some were panicking, their voices rising above the rest, while some took control and started making calls or organizing others. Fushikenwa started barking orders to his team, and Usagi tried to pull herself together as much as possible. She got back up, trying to make sense of everything. Her boss glanced at her. “No time to fall apart at the seams, Chiba, this is when we’re supposed to show everyone what we’re made of.”

“I know sir… Who would do such a thing?” She felt childish asking, she knew very well what kind of person would, but her brain seemed to be running on basic functions.

“That’s what we’re working to find out, missy.” Another voice answered from above.

Usagi turned. She supposed this man on the raised floor was the director of operations of a sort; he had that sort of authority air about him. He was calmer, or better at hiding his emotions, than the others and smoothed his mustache as he calculated the many screens around him. “The problem is… that was the Vietnamese capital. Any informants we have stationed there are probably dead. Communications will have been cut. It’ll take a lot longer before we can get any information out of there, and likely we won’t know anything until someone makes a claim on the attack.”

“The bomb. It was atomic,” Usagi said dazedly.

“Yes, Chiba, we’re all aware of that,” Fushikenwa said, his voice tight.

“But… the laws. There’s so many restrictions…”

“Chiba, if you can’t control yourself…”

“Can’t we tell what kind of material the bomb was made of?” Usagi blurted out, before she could stop herself.

The director continued to watch the screens. “Not likely, not until we get a radiation testing team out.”

Usagi started to speak again, but Mr. Fushikenwa attempted to shush her. “Now, Chiba, don’t bother the director with such things—”

“No, this is important. Director, I only say this because of international hazardous materials mining laws. We shouldn’t have to wait on the results from a team flying out there, because we can narrow it down based on material accessibility,” she said.

The director finally looked at her. “Girl, you should know that all mines producing radioactive materials are fairly secure.”

“Not true, sir. I only know this because… well, it’s something we should all be more aware of. And people who live on those lands aren’t well-treated or given much money to have their lives disrupted just so their governments can take what’s under the land.”

Someone nearby snorted. “Welcome to reality…”

Fushikenwa was also frowning. “Chiba, this isn’t a time for your bleeding heart to come in changing the way the whole world works.”

Usagi hardened at being scolded, took a breath to settle the irritation fizzling under her skin and began at length, “The obvious answer is to look at Iran or the Middle East in general because we see the most terrorist activity there, but from the look of everyone in this room we haven’t heard any intelligence of movement there, and we’ll only waste everyone’s time by blaming them without fact. Africa is a possibility due to poor security and war-torn nations holding it, but anyone carrying hazardous materials is probably shot in one of their wars and anything they’re carrying is taken back to whichever side killed that poor person and likely used against their enemies. We can rule out most first-world countries with uranium-rich soils because they either stand against nuclear power or have secure areas. I say most, because there’s still fairly rich uranium mines in the sparsely-populated American desert, and it’s easily smuggled out through their Native reservations and out to a waiting recipient in Mexico. And don’t give me that look because you know the Americans won’t ever shut up about their border security with Mexico, so you know someone with enough determination will figure out a way past the limited patrols and through the canyons to Mexico, where they can probably pay off whichever drug lord has control of that region at the time to get through safely to the drop point. Now, is that enough to go off of, or should I continue?”

The director regarded her. Those working nearby had stopped what they were doing somewhere in the middle of her rant to stare at the woman they usually knew as bubbly, kind, and not always the brightest crayon in the box. In her place was a leader well-versed in political logistics and criminal theory. Finally, the director spoke. “You seem to have the grasp of things, girl. Come up here and have a look at this data, tell me what you make of it.”

And with everyone still staring at her, she did just that, still clutching the pile of papers she had come in with.

*~*

At some point, she had managed to page Mamoru to pick up Chibi-usa from her mother’s. She ended up working past eight, and it was close to ten at night when she finally walked in to their apartment. She hadn’t even taken off her shoes and her husband was immediately asking her about the news. “I should have suspected that wouldn’t be kept quiet…”

“Usako, it’s an  _atomic bomb_.” Her husband looked every bit as tired as she felt, and she wasn’t coming out of a 36-hour shift at the hospital. “This isn’t something they  _can_  keep quiet. Is that why you’re so late?” Mamoru asked.

She nodded tiredly. All she wanted to do was crawl into bed and have her husband feed her until she fell asleep. “Apparently, shooting my mouth off at the director in a time of crisis is a good thing. I’m getting a promotion.”

“Always a silver lining, I suppose. What’s the job?”

“Can’t say much. Top-secret logistics stuff. It’s a lot of computer work and looking at things that Ami-chan would be better at than me.”

Mamoru put his arm around her, and pulled her in to a hug. The full weight of everything that had happened that day crashed down on her, and Usagi started to cry. “Oh, Mamo-chan, it was so awful… There was no warning, no one with credible faculty has claimed responsibility, no information coming out. All of those people…”

He held her and made soothing noises as she cried herself out. She lifted her head eventually and sniffled, wiping at her cheeks. “I’m sorry… I haven’t done that in ages…”

Mamoru smiled at her. “It’s been a long day, for both of us. And I bet you haven’t eaten in ages, which wouldn’t help.”

“No,” she admitted. “I do need something. Would you warm me up something, while I go see Chibi-usa?”

He agreed, and she slipped off to her daughter’s bedroom. The child slept peacefully, her soft pink curls every-which-way, unaware of the world beyond. Usagi leaned over the crib to kiss her forehead. “You’re such a good baby…” she whispered. “I guess you’re going to decide to make up for that when you get older.”

She heard the microwave beep, and went back out into the kitchen. Mamoru had set up a place for her at the table, and she sat gratefully. He set a dish of chicken yakisoba before her, and sat next to her while she inhaled the food.

Usagi didn’t say anything else until they were cuddled up in bed together later. “The scariest part is, Mamo-chan… we don’t know anything more. We don’t know who did it, or if there’s more to come, or where they’d hit next.”

“There’s nothing you can do about it right now, Usako,” he replied sleepily.

“I know, but… I have this feeling, you know?”

“Is it something you should call Rei about?”

“I don’t know. If it were a supernatural enemy, I think Rei-chan would have called me. She’s better at sensing these things first. She had all those dreams of impending doom back when we fought the Silence, remember? She, or Michiru would know—”

Usagi sat up with a gasp. “Michiru! Haruka, she’s racing in Milan this week!”

Mamoru sat up too. “Usako…”

“Mamo-chan, it’s the Grand Prix, you know Haruka always races there. They might not know—”

She scrambled out of bed and found their phone. As she dialed Michiru’s cell phone number, Mamoru was speaking, “It’s four in the afternoon there, don’t expect they’ll be free.”

“Michiru-chan!” Usagi said urgently, proving her husband wrong. “Yes, I’m… well, no, no I’m not fine. It’s a long story…..yes, that’s…..I know, that’s why I wanted to call. I wanted to warn you and Haruka-chan…..well, I thought if that were the case, you or Rei would have called me…..yes….no…..We’re working on that, but I can’t really say more…..right…..I can say we’re just as much in the dark as everyone else…..No, no, if Haruka isn’t finished with her race, there’s no need…..well, yes, but…..Michiru, please, don’t come home early just yet. And there might be restricted air service after today…..You won’t get stuck, don’t you have a private jet?.....Alright, well, fill Haruka in, and then let me know what you decide…..I’ll keep you as posted as I’m allowed to…..Yes…..Oh, that would be wonderful….Thank you, Michiru….Yes, you too. Tell Haruka good luck, or break a leg, or whatever it is. Stay safe.”

She sighed as she hung up the phone, and sat on the bed as heavily as someone her size could. Mamoru scooted forward and put his arm around her waist. “I want Haruka to do well; she’d miss out on points or… I don’t know how it works, but it would hurt her standing. But…”

“They’ll be fine, hon. Haruka and Michiru can handle themselves; I’m more worried about whoever might get in their way,” he replied.

Usagi chuckled. “True enough…” She sobered quickly though. “This used to be easy.”

“It was never easy,” Mamoru said. “There were just less people to worry about. And we weren’t scattered across the globe, or dealing with careers.”

“That’s the only good thing I can think of. Michiru said she would look into things in Europe and let me know what she found out. I wish I didn’t have to work tomorrow, I want to talk with the girls.”

Mamoru pulled her back towards their pillows and held her close. “I have the day off tomorrow since I just did the thirty-six run. If you want, you can leave me with anything you can think of, and I’ll call everyone who can make it over to discuss things, and if you want to discuss anything further we can have them over this weekend when your work schedule is a bit quieter.”

Usagi smiled tiredly. “You think of everything, Mamo-chan. I just hope I can get the weekend off, it wouldn’t surprise me if we had to pull out all the stops over the next few weeks…”

*~*

She left early the next morning, and a list of what she felt needed to be disclosed and what issues they should look for was left on the table. She kissed husband and child good-bye, and hurried to catch her train.

Mamoru sighed after she left, and looked over the list. He nearly spat out his coffee as he read it. “U-Usako…”

In typical Usagi-fashion, half of it was covered in drawings to convey her meaning, and the other half was a jumble of thoughts and explanations that made little sense. Chibi-usa burbled happily, banging her spoon against the high-chair table. “Little one, there isn’t a word that exists to describe your mother’s train of thought…” He said under his breath, but the corners of his mouth were twitching in amusement.

He picked up the phone and started calling his wife’s guardians.

*~*

Between work, school, and travel only three of their friends were able to come. Hotaru, a bright second-year university student who was almost unrecognizable from the awkward teenager she had been, immediately took charge of Chibi-usa as her foster-mother and Minako waved Mamoru’s hospitality off and made the tea and snack tray. “From Usagi’s reports, Mamoru, you need to sit,” Setsuna said with a smile.

He scowled. “I’ve been sitting all morning! If I can walk around a hospital for 24 hours and not fall over, I can walk around my own kitchen.”

Minako laughed and opened a cupboard. “We know where you keep the treats, Mamoru! Within Usagi’s reach!”

Hotaru extracted a strand of hair from Chibi-usa’s grip. “She’s growing fast, Mamoru-sama,” she commented, gently steering the conversation to more neutral territory.

Chibi-usa babbled happily. He smiled. “She’s getting to be that age. She likes you. And I told you, you don’t have to call me that. I’m not King yet.”

She eyed him; not for the first time, Mamoru noticed the age beyond her years hidden in their depths. “I have to be in the habit, Mamoru-sama. It doesn’t do for courtiers to disrespect their rulers.” She smiled, and the wizened age in her eyes disappeared. “But I am glad she likes me. Perhaps it is good fortune for our friendship in her future.”

Mamoru noticed Setsuna watching their interaction. Usagi had relayed their conversation—or at least the parts she had fully understood—to him that evening. He had always taken a more carefree attitude towards the future kingdom than his wife, he knew, but privately he was just as concerned. The news of an unknown path ahead was more soothing than it should have been. Mamoru supposed that the relief of that burden of knowledge was what made the uncertainty soothing. It was nice to feel normal for a change. However, he didn’t correct Hotaru. He was unsure of how much Setsuna told her daughter of future events, and felt that it wasn’t his responsibility to change the girl further than her already-traumatic life had already. “We shouldn’t waste more time, everyone. Usako left me a… list of things we needed to go over.”

“She drew all over it, didn’t she?” Minako asked, her mouth half-full of a gingersnap.

“Well… yes,” Mamoru said in a resigned tone.

Setsuna chuckled, just as the tea kettle whistled. “You can start, I can hear just fine,” she said, and went to fix their mugs.

Mamoru put on his reading glasses; he felt old wearing them, but it was that or take twenty minutes longer to go over everything. “It’s about the atomic bomb in Vietnam yesterday. Usako is worried about the source. And now that I’ve slept and have processed it, I admit I’m more worried as well.”

“It’s troublesome… the news reports this morning said that Japan is in no danger from radiation fall-out, because of the global air circulation patterns, but all of those people on the Indochina Penninsula…” Hotaru said.

He nodded. “They haven’t found out who did it yet. None of the known terrorist organizations have made a viable claim on the attack. Usako is worried that this may be something we will have to handle, or that it will be beyond any of our abilities or the global military ability.”

Minako was stirring her tea. “And the United Nations? I haven’t checked the news at all; I was out late last night.”

Mamoru shook his head. “I know they called an emergency session of the General Assembly this morning and the Security Council met yesterday. Their plans will be made public soon enough, but other than that… Usako said she would call when she could if they made any breakthroughs.”

The blonde woman took a sip from her mug and sighed. “I wish Luna and Artemis were here… They could hack into the U.N.’s database and let us know almost as soon as anything was decided…”

They were all silent for a moment; their cat aides had been on a personal mission ever since they had fully recovered from their injuries during the Sailor Wars. After establishing contact with the newly-reborn Sailor Mau, they had spent the next few years working to find other ambassadors like themselves and rebuild their home planet of Mau. While most of this work had been done from Earth, two years ago they had left to help with the actual rebuilding process. It was unknown when they would return; Usagi and Minako, while they had complained about their aides nagging and needling them to grow up and be more responsible young women, missed them both terribly. Usagi had been particularly heartbroken that Luna had left before the wedding, and then missed the birth of Chibi-usa.

“Is there anything Rei-san or Michiru-mama could do to look into these events?” Hotaru asked. Chibi-usa grabbed at the cookie the young woman held.

“Rei would have called, wouldn’t she? She would pick up on that pretty fast,” Minako said.

“And Usako called Michiru last night to inform her. She and Haruka will be staying in Milan, but she said they would look into it. We don’t believe it’s supernatural, but Michiru’s mirror may be more helpful than Rei’s fire-reading,” Mamoru said.

Setsuna cleared her throat. They looked at her. “If I may, Prince… Perhaps this is the Princess overreacting?”

Mamoru felt his back straighten at Setsuna’s title. “Atomic warfare isn’t exactly unworthy of that, Setsuna.”

She bowed her head in agreement. “Yes, but… we saw her same reaction with the terrorist attacks in the United States, and the subsequent warfare that resulted. Is this not another human war? We are called to defend this star from unearthly assaults, not our own squabbling.”

“Serenity-sama is destined to save humanity from itself, Setsuna-mama,” Hotaru replied before Mamoru could speak. Again, her attitude surpassed her age. “Though I know little of the events that shall come to pass, I do know that. And even so, who is to say that this is not a repeat of the Silence? My father…” She hesitated, her voice losing something. “My father was proof that humanity is not immune to the seduction of an outside evil. And perhaps this evil… this evil will not just attack with its own means. Perhaps it finds that a good helping of humanity’s weakness and fear helps feed the Chaos to its full potential.”


	3. Chapter 3

The sun was casting an orange light into the apartment when Usagi’s tired voice called a greeting from the foyer. “They let me off early since I stayed so late last night… Oh, everyone. You’re still here,” she said, her tired eyes lighting up with happiness. “Only you three could come?”

Minako patted the empty couch seat next to her, before helping herself to another cookie. “Yup. Rei had two weddings to officiate, Mako-chan was working, and Ami has finals coming up. And since I don’t do anything, I was free to come!”

Usagi kissed her husband chastely, for once, and then sat next to Minako. “Don’t tell me you got fired again, Minako?”

“Usagi! You doubt me!” Minako cried, throwing her hand against her forehead dramatically. “And you didn’t even follow my show! We got picked up for another two seasons, we’re just between tapings!”

“Ohhh, Mina-chan! I’m so happy for you!” The other woman flung her arms around her guardian. “I’m sorry we missed your show, it’s just so crazy around here!”

Hotaru smothered her giggles behind a hand. Setsuna cleared her throat gently. “Usagi, have you any new information?”

The mood sobered quickly. Usagi fiddled with the hem of her skirt. “Nothing worth our time, or that I can say without being reprimanded. I’ll bet the news knows more than I do, though; they kept me busied with department transfer papers for most of the day… The enemy is terrestrial, I can say that much.”

“Are you absolutely certain?” Hotaru asked. She repeated what she had said earlier about her father. “I don’t want to make another mistake with that kind of situation.”

Usagi nodded. “Michiru said she would call if anything came up, and I sent Rei an e-mail to do a fire-reading… If neither of them have Seen or had premonitions, I think we’re safely dealing with more human idiocy.”

She beat her fist against the side of the chair suddenly; her expression was uncharacteristically hard. “Damn them! To use such a weapon… all of those innocent people, and for what?! Political gain! Fear!”

All of them, even Mamoru, could count the number of times Usagi had ever sworn out loud on one hand. Even Setsuna’s steady nerves were tingling uncomfortably. “Princess…”

Usagi sighed, running her hands down her face. “I’m sorry. It’s just… so frustrating. I’m sorry to have involved you further, everyone. Until Michiru or Rei say differently, this isn’t a senshi matter…”

“You were rightfully worried, Usagi-sama. And even if it turns out otherwise, we’re prepared,” Hotaru said.

Minako raised an eyebrow. “You’re like a bog with a rabbit on that, Hotaru.”

“Dog, Minako, not bog!” Mamoru corrected.

“Whatever!”

Hotaru didn’t meet her eyes. “I don’t want to exclude any possibilities. It’s a difficult thing to see, whether the problem lives in your house or is in another country.”

Usagi nodded. “Hotaru’s right. And if we’re casting the net wide enough, there are a lot of people to look for. I just wish I could sense these things more clearly. Bad vibes aren’t enough when dealing with terrorists.”

The phone rang just then. Mamoru got up to answer, and Usagi took that moment to beg her daughter off of Hotaru. “As much of a brat she grows up to be, I need a few cuddles now while she behaves herself,” she explained.

Setsuna had her mysterious look on. “I seem to recall a different Princess long ago with some of those same bratty tendencies…”

Hotaru laughed outright at this new information; Minako grinned at Usagi, who was sticking her tongue out in a most un-Princess-like manner. “Well, can’t you be more specific than that?!” Mamoru exclaimed suddenly.

The four women immediately looked at him; Mamoru was visibly agitated, gripping the phone and the doorframe tightly. “No… No, I apologize, that was uncalled for. I know you’re doing the best you can, Michiru, and for that I am grateful. I will let Usagi and the others know… Yes. You too.”

He hung up, and his posture slumped. “Mamo-chan?” Usagi ventured cautiously.

“Michiru… Michiru looked into her mirror; she said that another bomb will be going off in another major city sometime this week. She can’t see any more than that,” his voice was quiet. Usagi noted the slight edge of fear in it. Tokyo definitely qualified as a major city.

Hotaru’s eyes grew wide and round. “That’s all? Do you know how many major cities there are in the world? Just in this hemisphere?!”

“That’s what I said, as you heard,” he replied grimly. “She also said that if it was any condolence, she’s still suffering from jet lag and it may be affecting her abilities, and she would try again for more details.”

Minako pulled out her senshi communicator. “We need Rei, and fast.”

Usagi held Chibi-usa closer, her grip firm as she attempted to keep her emotions in check. Setsuna placed a calming hand on the younger woman’s knee. “We’ll do what we can, when we can, Usagi-chan. Fear does us no good when there’s work to be done,” she said, keeping her voice at a low, soothing tone.

“Minako checking in!”

“Rei responding. I’m a bit busy at the moment, Miss TV Superstar, make it quick.”

Minako frowned. “Well, this needs to be bumped up higher on your queue, Miss Know-it-all. We need a fire-reading, and as fast as you can serve it up.”

“I know; I got Usagi’s e-mail. Bug Michiru about it if you’re so desperate, I can’t make any predictions right now.”

“That’s the problem.” Minako explained the situation as bluntly as possible, hoping that would light the metaphorical fire under Rei. Silence followed the explanation for several tense moments, before they all heard Rei’s response, “If you need it fast, I’ll need someone to help. Weddings are more spiritual than people think, and I’m worn out.”

Setsuna stood. “Rei, if you need my strength, I can help. My powers to see into the time stream may be of assistance if they’re focused through a different medium than myself. You may be able to see more than I am able to.”

“Alright. I’ll prepare my end of things while you head over. Rei out.”

The older woman bowed slightly to her friends. “If you’ll excuse me, this should be handled as soon as possible. I’ll keep you informed. Hotaru—”

“I can make my own way home, Setsuna-mama. I have my keys.”

“We’ll even feed her before she goes,” Mamoru said with a half-smile.

“Thank you,” Setsuna bowed again, and left swiftly.

When she had gone, Minako sighed, pushing her bangs out of her face. “Someone will need to let Mako-chan and Ami know… preferably after Ami’s exam. I don’t want to be responsible for her first-ever B-plus.”

She was grinning, trying to get them to share in the joke. Usagi smiled weakly. “I’ll call Mako-chan later. And Ami’s test is tomorrow evening, so we can let her know after. Though with how much time she’s been in the library lately, it wouldn’t surprise me if she had no idea what was going on…”

Mamoru got up while mumbling something about needing to do something with his hands, and went into the kitchen to prepare dinner. Hotaru folded her hands neatly in her lap, and stared at the carpet absently; her eyebrows were furrowed slightly. Usagi suspected she was attempting to do her own special brand of future-seeing; she knew the girl possessed some precognitive abilities, but the extent of which were still unknown or so broad that they didn’t always apply all at once. The blonde princess bit her thumb in agitation. “I’ll need to find a way to introduce this new information to my boss… we don’t want another mistake like Ho Chi Minh City…”

“Aren’t you supposed to have all of these mysterious ‘sources’ to fall back on?” Minako asked.

Usagi gave her the eye. “A freshly-caught administrative assistant who has recently been promoted to information support assistant to the director having sources? You’ve been watching too many crime dramas, Minako-chan…”

“I’m just saying! Claim you were… I don’t know, cultivating them for when your big break came!”

“National security doesn’t exactly come with ‘big breaks’.”

“You know what I mean!”

“Shh!” Hotaru hissed, holding up a hand.

The older women gaped at her. Hotaru’s expression was a mixture of rage, confusion, and fear. She was still staring at that spot on the carpet, but something began to materialize in the air above it. It was like a small patch of fog. Dark images, unfocused, flashed through it. Usagi saw a figure that looked distinctly like her, but the others were more difficult to make out. Beads of sweat formed on Hotaru’s forehead and temples; the young woman began to shake as she tried to make the fog patch clearer. Suddenly, bright beams of light shot out of the fog, and the entire thing vaporized before they could make sense of what had happened. Hotaru slumped against the couch, her eyes slightly unfocused and half-closed. Minako dropped to the floor next to her, resting her hands on her shoulders. “Hotaru-chan?”

“I see… turmoil. And I see nothingness. Emptiness,” Hotaru whispered. She turned those dull eyes on her princess. “Our darkest days are yet to come.”

*~*

The next few days passed into the weekend, and they tensely began preparations for the unknown. Sunday saw Usagi in the office all afternoon, attempting to draft a discreet but to-the-point letter describing what her ‘sources’ had told her. After six hours of alternating typing and backspacing and hitting her head against the desk, she slipped a sealed envelope under the director’s door, and went home to her family.

On Monday morning there was a voicemail from Michiru, saying that she and Haruka would be flying home that Thursday after investigating a few leads in Germany and Italy. Usagi’s heart grew less heavy with the knowledge that everyone would soon be home. Work that day was just as busy as it had been the previous week, but an underlying sense of urgency seemed to motivate everyone further. The director inclined his head to her at one point, and she took it to mean that her information had been welcome.

Tuesday saw an evening visit to the Hikawa Shrine. Rei’s face said everything. Usagi, Makoto, and Chibi-usa sat with her as the priestess offered more prayers to see the way more clearly, but still nothing more came of it.

Wednesday came and went. Thursday saw a text message from Michiru saying they would meet the following day to discuss all of the details she and Haruka had discovered.

Usagi was starting to feel more hopeful, like Michiru had been wrong. The part of her that was a battle-hardened warrior scoffed—Michiru and Rei were hardly ever wrong—but her unwavering optimism was building up despite of it. She arranged for a lunch meeting with Rei, Setsuna, Haruka, and Michiru that Friday; she figured that between the four of them, someone would have discovered _something_.

Lunch was drawing nearer; a car bomb had detonated in Tel Aviv, so Usagi was worried that she may have to work through lunch while their informants relayed their findings. She was charged with helping sift through all of that for any nuggets of real information, anything that might point to a link to the bombs. She sighed in mild frustration as she glanced at the clock again; the young man seated next to her shot a wry grin. “Going to turn into a pumpkin, Chiba?” He kept his voice low enough to be audible, but not much more.

Usagi’s lips twitched with the urge to smile in return. “No… More wondering why we’re doing this when we supposedly have an intelligence agency that’s more skilled than we are,” she replied, her voice at the same level.

“Now, now, Chiba. Security and intelligence work hand-in-hand these days, especially under these dire circumstances.” The man, Iwamura, had an easy, joking manner about him that Usagi appreciated in this workplace.

This time Usagi couldn’t stop the smile. “Stop mimicking the director, Iwamura, or I’ll have to do something drastic.”

“What, giggle at me? And then I’ll have to stand in the hallway for disrupting class?”

The urge to laugh was strong. Fortunately, Mr. Fushikenwa was walking by, and lightly tapped Iwamura on the head. “Holding two buckets of water, no doubt, Iwamura. Perhaps three, if I can have it arranged.”

Iwamura had the grace to at least look sheepish, though the furtive look he shared with Usagi said that he knew Fushikenwa would be easy on them. “Fushikenwa-san, the maintenance department may complain if their buckets go missing.”

“Not if you’re using them to scrub floors.”

“Sir!” Iwamura feigned dismay.

“You’re a cheeky good-for-nothing, Iwamura,” Fushikenwa said. Usagi was biting her finger to keep from laughing. “Tell me you have something, or I’ll think twice about that punishment.”

The younger man handed over the short stack of papers he and Usagi had come up with over the last few hours. “I do know when I’m allowed to have a little fun, sensei,” Iwamura said, leaning back in his chair was some remaining boyish grace.

Fushikenwa peered at the pair of them from over his glasses; the lenses reflected the computer screens on the walls. “Hmm… Recess might be in order, children. I’ll look over these and pass it on to the director while you take lunch. Hopefully you can return and be a bit more concentrated to the task this afternoon?”

“Yes, sir,” they chorused.

Usagi glanced at the clock and saw with relief that she wasn’t going to be late for her lunch date. In fact, she was about to be uncharacteristically early, something Rei was undoubtedly going to hold over her for the rest of their lives. She could hear it now: “ _What is it with you, Usagi, you hit your once-every-twenty-years punctuality mark already? Can we expect it again when you’re forty-three?_ ”

Grinning to herself, she turned to leave just as a man’s panicked yell sounded across the control room. She whirled, eyes wide with fright. Another man began shouting, and a woman. The papers slipped out of Fushikenwa’s hands. “Three? No—”

Two more shouts of panic. Usagi felt her heartbeat pulsing all over her body, she was so numb. There was a roar in her ears that overtook the growing panic around the room, as the wall-mounted monitors began changing to show the destruction happening around the world. She whispered a feeble ‘no’, and then shrieked it at the top of her lungs.

Warmth bloomed at her chest as the Silver Crystal appeared. “NOOOOOOO! PLEASE, FIX IT!” She shrieked.

Silver light burst forth. Usagi was soothed momentarily by the crystal’s power, and then knew no more.


	4. Chapter 4

Haruka was having the strangest feeling, not unlike sleep paralysis: she knew she was awake, she just couldn’t move. Sound grew louder and fainter, but there wasn’t much to listen to. She thought she heard voices, a man and a woman. Even her thoughts felt sluggish. ‘ _We were just going to see Dumpling… then there was that light… why can’t I move?_ ’

A searing pain shot up her arm from her hand, and suddenly Haruka could move, yell, and violently jerk her arm—all of which she did before realizing that Luna and Artemis were looking at her with concern; the fur around Artemis’ mouth was spotted red from biting her so deeply. Haruka looked around; other people they had been walking with were unmoving. She saw Michiru, Setsuna, and Rei all frozen in place, all looking in the same direction with varying degrees of confusion etched on their faces. They looked like garage kits, between the impossible poses and the way their hair fell with their walk. The tall woman looked back to the cats. “What… I don’t understand.”

Luna and Artemis looked at each other worriedly. “We were hoping you would know something. This is troublesome…” Luna said.

“How do we free them?” Haruka touched Michiru’s cheek.

Michiru suddenly pitched forward—her gait had been frozen awkwardly—gasping. Haruka caught her lover before she hit the ground. “Like that, I expect,” Artemis replied dryly.

“Haruka? What happened?” Michiru asked, color returning to her cheeks.

“We’re trying to find that out. Here, grab Rei’s shoulders, I’ll take Setsuna—”

The two women unfroze their companions, who expressed similar confusion. Luna jumped onto Rei’s shoulder. Rei was surprised. “Luna, you and Artemis are supposed to be on Mau. How did you get here? Why didn’t you tell us you were coming back?”

“We tried,” Artemis said as Setsuna picked him up.

Haruka was surveying the hallway; this was a pedestrian area of the National Security compound, and with Usagi’s note at security they had been allowed in to meet her for lunch. The sun was shining brightly through the glass roof, but something was off. Not only were the other people in this area unmoving, but the glass was cracked or broken in some places, and the metal framing was rusted through in some spots. Michiru grabbed Haruka’s wrist. “Haruka… there’s snow. On the roof, there’s snow.”

Setsuna was concentrating on nothing in particular. Rei followed Michiru’s gaze. “You’re never one to state the obvious, Michiru, but there it is. It’s August.”

“If we’re all just going to just state the obvious…” Luna said.

“We need to find Dumpling. I have a feeling…”

“…that she’s behind this. I feel it too,” Michiru finished.

The three started running off, Rei leading the way—she was the most attuned with Usagi’s energy. Artemis looked at Setsuna as they left. “Setsuna?”

“Artemis… You aren’t telling us something,” Setsuna said; her gaze told him she already knew, but wanted his confirmation. She didn’t like it.

The cat looked away from those accusing garnet eyes. “When we find the Princess,” he said. “This is important.”

Setsuna hurried after her friends, her heart dropping further in her chest with every step.

*~*

Rei stood outside of the door she knew held her dearest friend. “She’s there…”

Michiru noted the electric key card entry was now dead. “I don’t know how easily we could break in. With a deadbolt now truly dead…”

Haruka didn’t even wait for them to argue about it; she was just glad she had worn her motorcycle boots as her heel smashed into the door near where she suspected the lock mechanisms to be. The door crashed open, and the tall woman merely winced as she put her weight on her foot again. “As easily as that.”

“And you’ll have a sprain to prove it for the next few days,” Michiru chided.

Rei hurried in, and gasped. The others followed. Usagi was frozen in midair; she was half-transformed and surrounded by pink ribbons, arms outstretched, as the Silver Crystal shimmered innocently above. Luna went to the computers and tried pressing a few switches. “They’re all dead… Not just off, they’re dead.”

“Run out of power?” Artemis asked.

Setsuna reached as if to touch Usagi, but hesitated. “She froze time for living beings… for humans. All of the electricity that wasn’t powered by renewable sources is likely run out…”

Luna went to a printer, shifting through the abandoned pages to see if there was anything of use. “I don’t know how she managed it without killing herself; this is an enormous stretch of the Crystal’s power through her…”

“It would certainly kill me,” Setsuna mused. “It’s Taboo to stop the passage of time.”

Luna extracted a sheet of paper. “Unless it’s for a truly important cause… and I believe Usagi felt that sixteen reports of nuclear bombs was important.”

“Sixteen?” Michiru asked; her voice was steady, but she looked like she wanted to sit down from shock.

“Is that… is this atomic winter?” Setsuna asked, unsure. “Were we hit by one?”

“I’m not entirely certain…” Luna murmured.

“Dumpling…”

Artemis hopped down from his perch on Setsuna’s shoulder. “If we touch her, we’ll wake her… but we’ll need a damn good reason to be here. I don’t think anyone else is going to stay like this if the source awakens.”

Setsuna pulled out her star-shaped brooch. “I suggest we transform, and remove the Princess from the vicinity until we can gather more information and form a course of action from there.”

Haruka and Michiru nodded their agreement. “We’ll need to bring the others in as soon as possible as well,” Rei added, tearing her gaze from Usagi. “I suspect communications will be down, and until the Diet can form some sort of order it’s going to be chaotic out there.”

“Ami and Mamoru will want to tend to Dumpling, the rest of us can go on the offensive and keep looters from doing much damage,” Haruka said.

Four hands thrust towards the sky. “MARS ETERNAL!”

“URANUS ETERNAL!”

“NEPTUNE ETERNAL!”

“PLUTO ETERNAL!”

“MAKE-UP!”

Sailor Mars put two white-gloved fingers to Usagi’s foot. The effect was nearly instantaneous: Usagi fell, and Uranus rushed to help Mars catch her. “Princess?” Pluto asked.

The Silver Crystal flashed once, and Usagi’s transformation to Serenity completed. Uranus was glad she was at least given that modesty. The rest of the room came alive with noise as screams that had been cut off with their owners existence in the timeline finished. The screams turned into a low drone of confusion as they realized their situation was not as they knew it to be a moment before. A tall, tired-looking man turned on the spot and saw an unconscious Serenity surrounded by four of her guardians. “I… Chiba? What on Earth…”

Uranus’ eyes flashed protectively and she gathered her Princess into her arms and stood. Neptune and Pluto guarded her flank, while Mars moved protectively in front. “The Princess has done you all a great service,” Pluto stated in her way. “I will you remember that in the chaos to come.”

“Chaos? Princess? Sailor Senshi, what’s the meaning of all of this?” A younger man stood. “Why is Chiba dressed that way?”

Neptune snapped her fingers, and the warriors edged back carefully. The cats followed, Luna carrying several sheets of paper in her mouth. When they reached the door, they fled. Mars scooped up the cats, her boots clicking loudly against the tiled floor. “I hope those papers are worth it, fuzzball.”

“They may be.”

The flight through the National Security compound was easier than they expected; most security features were down, and the human security was too confused to do more than shout at the warriors. “Where is the closest safehouse?” Uranus yelled; she was in front.

“Makoto’s!” Mars responded.

“Get on the communicators!”

Mars did so; Pluto recalled something. “The Prince, we have no way of reaching him.”

“Where is he supposed to be?” Neptune asked.

“I do not…”

Neptune summoned her mirror. “We need to stop for a moment! Uranus!”

They all heard the tall woman cursing the air blue; they ducked behind a building and into an alley. “Hurry, Neptune.”

Neptune read the mirror’s surface as Mars caught her breath and called Ami next; Luna and Artemis were stretched over her shoulders. “Shouldn’t you call everyone at once?” Uranus asked impatiently; she was barely winded.

Mars gave her the evil eye, and ignored her. Several tense minutes passed. Serenity didn’t wake up, Neptune stared at the mirror, and Mars finished summoning everyone to Makoto’s apartment. Pluto stepped over to Uranus and checked her Princess’ pulse. “She’s breathing,” Uranus said stiffly. “I would have noticed otherwise.”

“Merely a formality, old friend. While I lack the proper medical training, I can at least tell the strength of a pulse.”

Mars watched them. “She’s okay?”

“Steady. Likely she’s still exhausted from the effort.”

Luna looked puzzled. “It still astounds me that she managed this…”

Neptune finally looked up from her scrying. “The Prince is at the hospital.”

Pluto nodded. “I’ll go to him.”

“Please hurry,” Luna said.

Pluto nodded again, and left. The three remaining warriors nodded to one another, and continued to Makoto’s apartment.

*~*

Usagi was laid out on Makoto’s dusty couch; Neptune was reminded of Ophelia from _Hamlet_ with her gown floating around her in her watery grave. She immediately felt guilty for thinking of death when the Princess had come so close to it. While Rei was content to power down to her civilian identity as they attended Usagi and waited, the warriors of the outer solar system remained on alert. Uranus stood by the cracked window, watching with some concern the snow that was falling.

It had taken the single-minded warriors some time to notice just how weathered and beaten down the buildings around them had become. They still weren’t certain if it was due to an atomic bomb or something else. Makoto’s small house wasn’t spared from the assault, and the upstairs had actually caved in. They weren’t entirely certain it was safe, but the alternative was keeping the Princess exposed for longer than any of them had felt comfortable with while they moved. All ears were kept on alert, listening for the tell-tale sounds of the ceiling about to go.

There was a knock at the door. Neptune looked out the peephole and then admitted Minako and Ami. “Neptune? What on Earth happened—USAGI!”

Makoto was hurrying up the garden path. “Wait!”

Neptune closed the door after her; the Princess’ personal attendants all crowded around her. “Idiot,” Minako cursed softly. “What did you do?”

“She stopped time, didn’t she?” Makoto asked; she appeared to be too worried to care that her house was in ruins.

Ami was checking Usagi’s vital signs. “I was only aware that Sailor Pluto could do such a thing. In any case, it appears that she merely sped up time. The last I checked it was August 4, and it doesn’t snow in Japan in August.”

“It might not be normal snow. Sixteen atomic bombs have gone off,” Uranus said grimly.

“What?!”

Neptune noted that Luna and Artemis remained uncharacteristically silent in offering explanations. There was frantic knocking at the door, and she checked again before opening the door for Hotaru. “I came as quickly as I could—what on Earth is going on out there?”

“We’re trying to figure that out,” her foster mother replied, returning her gaze to the Princess’ feline advisers.

Minako looked up as Hotaru edged towards them. “Hotaru-chan… you made that premonition a few days ago…”

Hotaru shook her head. “I’m not a prophet. I merely saw we had a great tragedy on the horizon, much like Michiru-mama saw it in the mirror. Is this… is the Princess…”

Ami shook her head. “She appears stable, she’s just exhausted. Mamoru-san is more qualified than I and can check for sure when he arrives—”

Pluto and Mamoru didn’t bother to knock, they just barged in. Or rather, Mamoru barged in; Pluto followed at a more reasonable pace, carrying Chibi-usa in her arms. Neptune felt a pinch of guilt—she had forgotten the young princess in their rush to protect her mother. Uranus moved to her side, sensing her lover’s guilt. “We can’t think of everything,” she murmured.

“We need to start. She’s just as important now.”

“True. But she hasn’t been around that long. Give it time.”

Mamoru took his wife’s hand, and a faint golden glow surrounded it. He closed his eyes. Everyone seemed to be holding their breath, waiting, until he spoke. “She’s recovering from such a powerful outburst. She will wake soon, but until then we must let her be, and let the Silver Crystal finish reviving her.”

“Reviving her?” Several voices asked.

“The power nearly killed her, didn’t it?” Ami asked. “Stopping atomic bombs?”

“Atomic bombs!”

“How many?”

“Were we hit?!”

Luna coughed delicately, bringing the attention to her. “Likely, sparing everyone from radiation damage did kill her, but the phrasing of the desire that caused this somehow managed not to.”

Artemis nodded. “Or so much time has passed that the Crystal was able to not only kill her, but also bring her back.”

Uranus and Neptune had looks of suspicion on their faces, and glanced between both the cats and Pluto. Ami and Rei were looking at them; it dawned on Ami first, and she uttered a soft, frightened ‘oh!’. The others were slower to catch on. “Artemis… Why are you here?” Minako asked, her voice like soft iron. “Why aren’t you on Mau? Why didn’t you tell us you were returning? What _aren’t_ you telling us?”

Both felines looked uncomfortable. Hotaru’s eyes widened as she started to catch on as well, and looked at her foster-mother. Pluto remained steadfast as always, not meeting anyone’s gaze. “Setsuna-mama?” Hotaru asked.

Luna looked them all in the eye at least once. “We tried contacting you. We were due to return around Usagi and Chibi-usa’s birthday. We thought it would make a nice surprise, to let the young Princess meet us for her fifth birthday.”

Mamoru’s eyes were narrowing as he started to put the pieces together. His grip didn’t change on Usagi’s hand, nor did the golden glow of his bond with her fade. “You were returning four years later? _Were_? As in, the past tense?”

Makoto looked at Chibi-usa. She looked the same as she had the last time she had seen her, just a few weeks after her first birthday. “But Chibi-usa’s right there. She’s still thirteen months old.”

Artemis wasn’t looking at any of them. “Imagine our surprise, then. To find the whole world as if a giant pause button had been hit. And we tried to wake you before, we did. We came back about once every ten years; we figured… we thought that if we weren’t able to help here—and believe me, we tried for a few months to figure out a solution, some way to break the spell—we may as well continue our mission on Mau. And we did a lot of good there. It’s flourished well, after all of these centuries of work…”

“All…”

“…of these…”

“…centuries?”

Pluto spoke up quietly. “By my estimate, we have been frozen in time for over five hundred years.”


	5. Chapter 5

Minako squeezed her eyes shut while she stuck a finger in her ear and wiggled it furiously. “I’m sorry Setsuna; I must have misheard you because there’s no possible way that you just said we have been frozen in time for five hundred years.”

Artemis shook his head. “No, it’s true.”

“FIVE HUNDRED YEARS?!”

Makoto put her hand to her head. “Oh my God. Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God…”

Rei rubbed her temples as Makoto kept up her blaspheme-chanting up. Ami took her brooch from her pocket and quietly transformed. She touched her earring to activate her visor and summoned her computer to run some calculations. “It appears that only people stopped during that time; the amount of destruction to buildings and roads on the way here was astronomical.”

“So, it isn’t nuclear winter,” Uranus indicated the snow outside. “We weren’t hit by a bomb?”

Mercury shook her head. “I’ll run some calculations, but it’s likely the middle of winter. We’re safe in that regard. I can’t say that we were in the clear when the bombs hit, but if we were enough time should have passed to let radiation levels fall to a safe level.”

“Man, I can think up some awkward freezing points… imagine how some people are waking up?” Minako asked, trying to liven things up.

“It shouldn’t be much different than us,” Uranus countered. “I was briefly aware before Luna bit me. I wondered why I couldn’t move.”

“I didn’t know anything had happened until I fell after you touched me,” Neptune told her. “I wondered if I had tripped. And then I saw that no one else was moving.”

The others nodded. “And everyone else woke up after we brought Usagi back,” Rei said.

Makoto’s eyes widened in horror. “Wait a sec… If all of the _people_ stopped moving… What about people traveling?”

“What d’you mean?”

“Airplanes?” The tall brunette asked, and everyone remembered why she’d thought of it. “Suddenly their pilots aren’t doing anything—they keep going until they run out of fuel. Ships don’t get steered in new directions, they crash at port or at sea. Cars—drivers are frozen in accelerate or brake. Motorbikes. Balloons. Trains.”

She was starting to hyperventilate; Rei got up and forced her to look eye-to-eye. She spoke calmly and rapidly to break Makoto out of this fervor. Luna looked worriedly at Usagi. “We won’t know that for certain until we find out how Usagi phrased this… this command. It’s entirely possible that nothing of that sort happened, as what should have killed her instead did just that and then brought her back.”

Uranus and Neptune had moved back to the windows. They could hear people outside yelling and screaming as panic mounted. “Communications are offline,” Mercury announced, not looking up from her computer. “It’s to be expected; enough time has passed that electricity and battery backups have failed, and most satellites have crashed back into the atmosphere.”

“So no one can check to see who is alive or dead,” Uranus murmured.

“And the government can’t establish order without martial law,” Neptune replied.

“That will take time to send out the messages and then mobilize. No cars or fuel, no other transport modes than walking. And I would hardly think that weapons and tanks have lasted either,” Hotaru said quietly.

Pluto watched Chibi-usa sleep peacefully, completely oblivious. “A crossroads in time…” she said, almost to herself.

“What?” Minako asked.

“The Princess and I discussed recently her concerns about the future kingdom to come. While I am not able to observe my own personal timeline, I did glance into her future, and saw little that made sense. A crossroads in time.”

“Turmoil. Emptiness,” Hotaru whispered, her eyes widening. “Our darkest days are yet to come. I saw that in my vision.”

“And you said you weren’t a prophet,” Minako jabbed.

“It depends on your definition of a prophet,” Pluto said with a small smile before Hotaru could open her mouth to argue. “But that makes three of us who had these similar prophecies about the future to come: Neptune’s the literal, the bombs. Saturn’s the abstract, the dark days to come. And mine the symbolic, the crossroads in time.”

“And what _is_ a crossroads in time?”

“The time when the gods step away and mortals make their mark,” Pluto said sagely. “We must choose our own ways, and forge new paths. At this point, I can see far into the future, and I can see nothing at all. Details escape me because of this point and my own involvement in the timeline. The Princess has had many such crossroads in her lifetime. She will have to choose her, _our_ path one more time.”

All of them looked at Usagi’s listless form. Uranus suddenly moved for the door. “I need to do something.”

“Like what?” Minako demanded.

“Like, I don’t know. I just… I can’t sit here and wait for explanations and all the while look at her and think she’s about to… about to slip out on us,” the tall woman said, laced with emotion; she kept her back to the group to hide her frustration. “And if doing something… anything…”

Hotaru stood, and transformed. “The government won’t be able to establish martial law, Neptune said it herself. We can go try that,” Saturn said. “If nothing else… well… It’s something. People will be safe. From themselves.”

Neptune looked from the others to her lover and foster-daughter. “I… I need to go as well.”

Makoto was still breathing hard, but pulled out her brooch and transformed anyway. “I should… work this out.”

Rei eyed her carefully. “Just don’t… just be careful.”

Jupiter managed a smile. “I’ll do my best…”

The four left. Artemis looked torn. “I feel the same as Sailor Uranus; I don’t like just sitting around. And she looks so… bad right now.”

“We can’t do much though, Artemis,” Luna reminded him. “We’d do better to stay back and look over these files with Mercury.”

The blue-haired soldier smiled slightly. “If you don’t mind looking at the paperwork; I’m trying to crunch numbers to see exactly what date and time it is.”

Pluto untransformed, and sat next to Mercury. “I could just tell you.”

“Thinking helps me think,” Mercury replied cryptically. “There’s a lot we have to think about to move forward and running easy data like this distracts me enough to look at the bigger picture.”

Minako looked upwards. “If you say so Ami-chan. How that makes any sense…”

Rei rolled her eyes. “Leave the thinking to us, Minako.”

Mamoru had remained silent under pretense of focusing all of his healing abilities to his wife. He had been mulling something over ever since Pluto had mentioned the crossroads ahead. It was an idea he wasn’t sure he wanted to voice without speaking to Usagi about first. Knowing her friends, they would likely charge on ahead with it, but this was ultimately going to be his Usako’s decision. ‘ _Please wake up soon…_ ’

*~*

Neptune returned a few hours later with Saturn; Saturn was holding her left arm gingerly, and Neptune had to carry the younger woman’s glaive. “Mob broke out,” she said, wincing as she moved her arm to sit. “I think it’s broken. I would take demons any day over a mob of angry humans…”

“Uranus and Jupiter seem to be handling it well,” Neptune explained the others’ absence as Mercury went to Saturn. “What progress have we made here?”

Luna indicated the papers strewn about. “We have a vague big picture. We don’t have all of the cities attacked noted yet. All of them are noted as latitude and longitude, but some of the data is incomplete. We may not know all of the locations exactly for some time. Mercury noted the date and a correct time to go by. It’s December 26, 2506.”

“And a happy Christmas to us…”

“And the Princess?”

Mamoru shook his head, and brushed Usagi’s cheek. “Still nothing.”

“Mamoru-san, I may need your assistance,” Mercury said, slight agitation in her voice.

Minako took his place next to Usagi as he went to work on Saturn. She took her hand. “I have a strange feeling, Rei…” she said softly.

Rei had long since taken charge of Chibi-usa. “You must be channeling me,” the raven-haired woman said with a slight smirk.

“That’s the last thing I need,” Minako retorted. “No, but I’m feeling like… I’m feeling like I need to stick nearer to her from now on. It’s… I think it’s a protective feeling? I don’t know. It’s stronger than usual.”

“Pluto mentioned that crossroads. Maybe your… other services are needed.”

The blonde woman’s eyebrows furrowed, and she looked back at the woman who could be her twin. Her services as a body-double had been needed so few times in this lifetime; she wasn’t sure how well they could manage it now. Meanwhile, Mercury muttered something about needing something for a splint. She and Mamoru discussed what could be used to set the bones until Mamoru or Saturn herself had enough strength to mend the bones completely; Mamoru was taking the edge off of the girl’s pain. “The x-ray abilities on my visor are primitive at best, I wish I could see better to set the split right…” Mercury said softly.

“Do what you can, Mercury,” Saturn said through gritted teeth.

The blue-haired senshi went into Makoto’s bedroom, and returned with a blanket. “Shred that into strips,” she instructed Neptune, and then cautiously climbed the stairs to salvage any wood planks that would still be of use.

When she returned, she went back to work, setting Saturn’s arm. The room was silent for a time, save for the blanket’s threads protesting their treatment “Neptune, what else was going on out there?” Minako asked, raising her voice.

Neptune looked up from ripping the blanket, looking haggard and stressed; the normally calm, collected woman’s appearance spoke more volumes to the situation outside than her words. “A lot of panic. Mobs were starting in the few districts that we could see. If they start rioting, there won’t be much left for them to destroy, most of the city has decayed; there’s a lot of work cut out for us ahead. People are going to get hungry soon, too. It’s cold. It’s snowing. There’s going to be a food shortage. There’s not a lot of shelter.”

“Did you get a look around to see if we were hit?”

“What do you think, Minako? We barely were able to contain a mob of angry humans! We didn’t have a chance to look for ground zero!”

“It was just a question! We need to know what we’re up against and what we need to watch out for.”

“We’re up against our own people. We’re up against a human terrorist organization. It’s a human war and we need to think twice before involving ourselves too much. We need to think of this differently than any other battle we’ve gone up against!”

“I know that! That’s why I wanted to know the situation!”

“You guys! Stop fighting!” Mercury yelled as Chibi-usa started to cry. She pressed the two planks she had found too hard against Saturn’s arm; the girl yelled in pain.

“Uhhhng, what’s it take to get a little shut-eye around here?” A tired voice groaned from the couch.

“Usagi!”

“Princess!”

“Usako!” Mamoru tensed to rush to her, but Saturn yelped again as his concentration was thrown and pain shot up her arm. He muttered an apology and relaxed.

Usagi sat up, holding her head. “Feels like I lost a fight with a hammer… who let me build something? Wait…” She looked around. “I was… I was at work. Just a minute ago. Where…?”

Minako eased the woman back down. “Just relax, Usagi. We’re at Makoto’s.”

Usagi sighed. “Really though, why does my head hurt so much…” She looked down, and gasped. She sat right back up, and Minako threw up her hands in defeat. “Why am I dressed this way?!”

“There was… an accident,” Rei said. Pluto gave an uncharacteristic snort behind her.

“An accident?”

“Do you not remember, Usagi-chan?” Luna asked, hopping up onto the couch.

Usagi pressed her hands against her eyes. Rainbow lights sparked on her eyelids. “I was at work… we were going through all of those papers. And then the screaming.”

Her hands fell limply by her sides. A tear fell. “The bombs. All those bombs. And the screaming. All of those people, everywhere…”

Minako took Usagi’s hand again. “You… you did something with the Crystal, Usagi. We can’t figure out everything until we know exactly what.”

Luna nodded. “How _exactly_ did you command the Crystal?”

Usagi stared at the ceiling. “I panicked. It looked like the world was ending—you didn’t see all of those new images popping up, I didn’t know where the bombs were. I wanted it to stop. I wanted all of it to stop. I wanted everyone to be okay. I didn’t want anyone to die… I just wanted everything to stop so no one else would die...”

Minako turned and shared a look with Rei. “It’s what we thought then. People might not have died if their vehicles crashed. We’re going to have a lot of civilians on the subways…”

“Some died anyway, I bet,” Neptune said, her eyes hidden. “Boats that capsized and sank. People impaled on steel. People crushed under the weight of others. Anyone in the way of the bombs before Usagi reacted.”

“Better than the millions we thought before,” Pluto said sharply, throwing a look at her comrade as Usagi’s eyes widened in horror.

“It could be millions anyway. It hit during daylight in China, India, Japan, some of the largest transit populations in the world,” Neptune countered.

“I made it worse?” Usagi whispered.

“We don’t know that,” Artemis piped up, his eyes flashing as he glared at Neptune. “We won’t know that for a long time. But you stopped time enough for people to heal; we might have fewer casualties than we think.”

“Until everyone starves…” Neptune muttered.

“Michiru-mama,” Saturn said sharply. “Enough.”

Neptune stood suddenly and went outside. Pluto sighed. Usagi sat up, looking contrite. “I know. She wants us to stay focused… me to stay focused. She doesn’t like building up false hope. I know that… It’s okay, Saturn.”

Saturn shook her head. “She’s worried about Haruka-papa against the mobs. That does not give her the right to needlessly frighten or guilt you, Princess.”

“I’m not _frightened_ ,” Usagi said firmly, and for once everyone believed her. “I’m _worried_. And I’m upset that people died because of me. Guilty as charged. And I accept that.”

Mercury finished tying Saturn’s arm. Two wooden planks kept the bones from shifting any further, and the torn blankets served as bandages to keep them in place. “That should hold it for now. You’ll be out of the action for a while.”

Saturn nodded grimly, and detransformed. “It isn’t like I do a lot of good anyway, my attacks aren’t suited for dealing with normal people… or small-scale anything…”

Usagi held out her arms, and Rei gave her Chibi-usa. “All right. Fill me in on what’s going on.”

Pluto cleared her throat. “You froze time for around five hundred years. It’s now 2506. From what we can tell, you stopped people—we don’t know about animals, but plants and weathering have all taken their toll on civilization. Buildings, streets… many have decayed with the passing of time, or been destroyed by natural disasters. Surveillance will be needed to determine that. Communications worldwide are down, and people are panicking.”

Mercury nodded. “I’ve been running the calculations and fitting the puzzle together. I suspect the Crystal took your meaning quite literally when you said you didn’t want anyone to die. If we were hit by anything, you did more than just freeze people. I’ll need information to be sure of that, and we can reconnaissance for that later, but I also suspect you halted the fission process of the nuclear devices, halting any further destruction. My observations on the way here were that most of the city is still standing, and that would be impossible if we were hit. The atomic fallout that did occur fell but there was nothing to affect but the buildings and the ground, and enough time has passed now that the radiation levels have likely fallen back to safe levels. I imagine most radioactive hotspots are now livable again. Energy outputs fell dramatically or failed without humans to tend to them, so from what I have noted just from Tokyo’s air quality I suspect the worldwide pollution levels have fallen off quite dramatically. The Earth has taken time to heal itself.”

Usagi nodded in understanding. “Okay. Where are Haruka and Mako-chan?”

*~*

“Dammit!” Uranus swore and knelt behind a crumbled wall. She held her shoulder and blood stained her white glove. Her shoulder armor was ripped almost entirely off. “Not like we’ve saved them from countless deaths before, or that I can do a lot of good while my _arm is being ripped off_ ,” she shouted the last part bitterly.

“People are scared and they lash out,” Jupiter said through a split lip. “I can sympathize.”

“Yeah, well, you’re not beating the shit out of me while you look for your man.”

Jupiter grinned, and then winced. “Hiro can take care of himself. And I’m not stupid enough to think a Sailor Senshi can keep her patience all the time.”

“Bastards got my fighting arm anyway…”

Jupiter peered over the wall. The mob—those they hadn’t convinced to go home—was mostly gone, and the stragglers were left to either abandon the cause or pick up the pace. “I think you were right, earlier. They’re heading for the government buildings.”

“’Course they are. Even our people aren’t stupid enough to lay low and wait it out in this kind of situation,” Uranus spat.

Jupiter’s national pride took over as she frowned slightly at the insult to their culture, but the older woman had experienced a lot more of the negative side of Japanese society than she herself had. “I don’t know what they think the Diet or the Prime Minister will be able to do.”

“More pretty words, not a lot of action, I’ve no doubt. Let’s follow them for a bit and see what we can bring back to Dumpling,” Uranus stood.

“Your arm, though—”

“Damn my arm. We have more important things to worry about.”

Jupiter hesitated, and then nodded. The two women took to what roofs and high points remained, following the mob’s path to the government sector.


	6. Chapter 6

It was very late when Uranus and Jupiter returned to the ruins of Jupiter’s house. Hotaru and Minako had fallen asleep, but the others remained awake. Neptune stood as a solitary guard outside of the front gates, being waved off by her lover with the promise of later. Usagi was putting together a makeshift bed for Chibi-usa when her guardians returned; the infant was burbling happily in her father’s arms. Mamoru looked worried. “We’ll need to find something else for diapers, I don’t think Makoto would appreciate us ripping all of her things for diapers for Chibi-usa, and bandages for the others” he said softly.

“I wish she was old enough to potty-train…”

Sailor Mars looked irritated. “Well, you should think about it soon. I have more important things to do than be used as a dryer for baby clothes. And Mercury can’t just sit around being a clothes-washer!”

Mercury turned pink, not wanting to be brought into the impending fight. “Oh! Jupiter! Uranus!”

The others turned. “You’re hurt!” Usagi cried.

“It’s nothing, Dumpling,” Uranus waved her off. Jupiter nodded. “We have news.”

Usagi stilled. “What happened?”

“The mob went to the government quarter,” Uranus started. “Not many of the politicians had left. But… they had some military and police support by then. The good news is that the mob was deflected without many problems, and most people have gone back to… whatever is left for them. But there were a few injuries. Maybe casualties. We didn’t get too close.”

“We tried that before, and it didn’t go over well,” Jupiter indicated their injuries. “The people aren’t going to be happy that their government fought them back.”

“Did they approach peacefully?” Mercury asked.

Jupiter shrugged. “Some did. Others… they didn’t get the police as badly as they got us, but it was enough to make them fight back.”

Usagi stared at her hands. She fiddled with her gown, not liking the thought that crept into her mind. She had attempted to revert to her normal self, but it hadn’t worked. She told herself she was just tired, but that coupled with this new thought made her uncomfortable. Luna rubbed her head against her mistress’s arm, trying to comfort her. “Are there any other big problems?”

“Not as much looting as we thought, but supplies are virtually nonexistent,” Uranus said. “What few remain are going to be precious cargo soon enough, and fighting will break out over it.”

“There was some talk that the Diet was attempting to have communications restored with the rest of the world, but who knows how long that’s going to take?” Jupiter added.

Artemis sighed. “It would be best to rest a while. You two are beaten up, and there isn’t much we can do at the moment. We can go on the move tomorrow, but there’s little point right now.”

Pluto and Mars offered to stand watch outside and force Neptune to come in out of the cold. It wasn’t that much warmer in the house, but they were sheltered. Usagi watched Minako slide sideways and lean against Hotaru, and listened to Jupiter chuckle. The brunette had found and distributed the rest of her as-of-yet-moth-eaten blankets. She sat against the wall wrapped in one of them. Uranus and Neptune shared a blanket near the door, talking quietly; a make-shift bandage was tied around Uranus’ shoulder. Mercury fell asleep almost instantly, curled up near Jupiter.

Usagi sat up for a while, thinking. She made Mamoru rest; one arm was curved around Chibi-usa’s nest of blankets, and the cats lay around the infant to keep her warm. She sensed that Mamoru was watching her instead of sleeping, but neither spoke. Time passed, and her train of thought whirled so quickly that it almost gave her a headache. A few times, she took a break to attempt to revert to her normal self, but all that resulted was a soft silver glow that she thought would disrupt the others. It was just one more thing she needed to think about. She had a rough plan formed after about two hours, and was starting to doze when the front door burst open. Uranus and Neptune were on their feet almost instantly. Chibi-usa started to cry. The others woke up a tad slower; a man rushed past the two warriors and threw himself at Jupiter. “You’re okay!”

“Hiro-kun!” Jupiter gasped.

Uranus swore violently, kicking the door shut. Neptune glared daggers at Jupiter’s boyfriend, but placed a soothing hand on her lover’s shoulder and sat back down. Jupiter made him sit. “Hiro, I tried to find you—”

“I was stuck on the train, it was hours before we could get out. I’m sorry if I worried you!”

Usagi smiled as Jupiter started to fill him in; she picked up her daughter and tried to calm her down. Some of the others had been hesitant to allow Jupiter to confide in him their secret, but she knew better and her word was final. Hiro was a good man; like Motoki and their families, she knew he could be trusted to keep their identities to himself. Everyone settled in again, and Chibi-usa’s cries began to fade. “Usagi-chan…” Luna said quietly.

“Yes?” Usagi kept her voice just as soft.

“You should rest.”

“I know.”

“You have that look on your face,” Luna said reproachfully, her eyes glowing eerily in the scant light.

“I know.”

“What do you have planned?”

“We can talk about it tomorrow.”

“Which means I won’t like it.”

“Which is why we’ll discuss it later,” Usagi said firmly, ending the debate.

Luna curled around Chibi-usa as Usagi lay her back in her ‘nest’. “I’m putting my faith in you, Usagi-chan. You aren’t sixteen anymore.”

The young woman looked out the window at the pearly, pre-dawn glow. “Sometimes I’m not so sure…”

*~*

She only brought Mercury, Venus, and Neptune with her. Even Luna and Artemis were made to stay, while the others’ protests fell on deaf ears. She wanted injuries to rest, and some of her healthy warriors to protect her baby. She also didn’t want Rei’s sharp tongue in the way of what she was about to do. They walked for a while in silence. Usagi held up the train of her dress to lessen the chances of a klutz attack, her white slippers leaving tiny footprints in the snow. Her guardians exchanged looks several times, each accompanied with wide-eyed shrugs and silent, vicious arguments about who should bring up the topic of where they were going first. Neptune finally threw up her hands in frustration and asked, “Where exactly are we going, Princess?”

“The government quarter,” she replied, and held her breath in anticipation.

“Why?”

“Because that’s where we need to go to find answers,” Usagi phrased it almost like a question.

Mercury lengthened her stride to walk next to her. “Usagi-chan, do you know the implications of this? What’s going to come of it? Are you absolutely sure this is the best plan of action?”

Usagi looked down. She exhaled heavily, her breath clouding the air. “Not entirely, but it’s the best one we’ve got.”

“As compared to what?” Venus asked.

Neptune pursed her lips. “We could be conserving our energy for a real problem.”

Usagi counted to ten silently; while she knew Neptune’s heart was in the right place, the constant hurdle she put up was becoming aggravating. “Compared to sitting at Makoto’s, watching Mercury and Pluto and Luna and Artemis crunch numbers and put together a vague picture while the rest of us feel useless or go out and get beaten up by a crowd of angry people? I’d rather be doing something, if it’s all the same to you,” Usagi said, clearly annoyed. “I know where my department kept more information; at the very least we’re going to the NSC!”

“Princess, this is a human problem. This isn’t something we need to bother ourselves with,” Neptune said patiently. “Nothing Rei, Hotaru, or myself have seen indicates this is supernatural.”

“Seventeen nuclear bombs, sixteen going off at one time, isn’t exactly natural either, Neptune,” she retorted. “Something just feels _wrong_ about this to me.”

“It’s the End of Times, _nothing_ is going to feel right about it!” Venus exclaimed. “So you headed off the apocalypse, it’s not like you can _fix_ —”

She cut herself off abruptly, staring wide-eyed. The others froze, catching Venus’ meaning. Usagi kept walking, not looking at any of them. They hesitated, and then followed after. A few minutes passed, and then, “This is why I chose you three. Venus, you’ve been doing this the longest of any of us. You’re my body-double and understand me almost as well as Rei does. Mercury, you’ve been at my side almost from the start. I need you do explain the logistics if it comes up, and you have technology we’ll need on the ground that might work as a bargaining chip if necessary. And Neptune… you went through a lot of hardship before you could count on anyone to have your back. You’re the realist out of everyone. A true soldier. You won’t hesitate if something drastic needs to happen, and you aren’t as emotionally attached to me as Haruka is. You all are the most battle-worn soldiers I have. You won’t question what needs to happen unless I’m about to do something ridiculously stupid, and I trust you to speak up if I am.”

She explained all of this very calmly, as if they were discussing the weather. There was a note in her voice that made them all stand at attention. “Yes, ma’am,” Venus whispered automatically.

“Right. Let’s go meet that crossroads, shall we?” Usagi asked, smiling innocently.

*~*

The NSC compound wasn’t as deserted as they were expecting. Usagi was the recipient of more than a few stares, but her guardians flanking her were what caused the whispers. Some people recognized Usagi and raised their hands in hesitant waves; she nodded in response, feeling foolish, but any verbal response would prompt questions that she wasn’t sure she could or wanted to answer at the moment. As Usagi led them down an unfamiliar corridor, they heard a shout. Neptune, Mercury, and Venus surrounded Usagi protectively. “Chiba!”

“Iwamura!” Usagi said in relief.

Neptune blocked him from coming any further. Iwamura raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t realize you kept such company, Chiba.”

She bit her lip. “Neptune, it’s okay. We work… worked together.” The older woman didn’t budge. Usagi pursed her lips, but decided against the argument. “We’re old friends, Iwamura. To put it in the least complicated way.”

“Complicated puts it mildly. What I want to know is what the hell happened in the control center yesterday,” he said, and Usagi’s heart dropped. He had her. “I saw... I saw you do something I can’t even begin to think to explain. But this,” he gestured to her dress and her guardians, “this explains a lot more than words can.”

“Iwamura…”

“It’s so easy to spot it now. And what happened back there? Between that and the other Senshi who took you away… I can’t believe… you’re Sailor Moon. I mean, I wouldn’t be able to believe it, if I hadn’t seen…”

Venus touched Usagi’s arm as a warning to stay where she was. “She has done everyone a favor here, kid,” the blonde soldier said. “We’d rather you didn’t run around shooting your mouth off about it.”

Iwamura scoffed. “What, with a room full of witnesses to what happened? I’m not the one you have to worry about.”

“What do you mean?” Mercury asked.

“The director saw. And he put it together faster than I did. He wants you and that power you have, Chiba.”

Usagi paled. “W-wants…?”

“We have you, Japan gains the upper hand in rebuilding the world.”

“Absolutely not,” Venus, Mercury, and Neptune said at once.

“Wait.”

Usagi’s command brought them back. “Let me talk to the director. I won’t be a plaything of politics, but I’ll hear him out.”

“Princess—” Neptune started.

“Let me do this,” Usagi said firmly.

“Remember when you said to stop you if you were going to do something ridiculously stupid?” Venus hissed. “This is one of those moments!”

Mercury was frowning, but looking at Iwamura. “Bring the director here,” she said suddenly. “We won’t allow her to walk into a blind situation, and we have information your director will want to know. As a gesture of goodwill, bring him here.”

There was a glint in Iwamura’s eyes that Mercury didn’t like, but he bowed slightly and trotted off. Venus shook Usagi slightly. “We’re not going to do that again, are we?”

“I—no. Maybe. If it’s necessary,” Usagi stammered.

“Wrong! Correct answer is ‘no! No, Venus, we’re not going to do that again, because I don’t want to be exposed to a potential danger!’”

“Venus! I know him! We worked just… yesterday… five hundred years ago yesterday… We went through paperwork together! We joked about having detention! Fushikenwa almost made him do the floors!” Usagi protested.

“What part of ‘you’ll stop me if I’m about to do something stupid’ did you _not_ mean?” Venus demanded.

“Well…”

“Exactly! Mercury, back me up!”

Mercury waved her off. “I’ve had just about enough of everyone fighting, please.”

Neptune held up a hand. “Quiet! He’s coming back.”

Iwamura rounded the corner. “Funny thing, the director really needs you to head to the control center. He wants you to explain the damage you caused.”

Neptune blocked his path again as he tried to approach Usagi. “I don’t think we were quite clear. You’re on our terms.”

“No. I don’t think I’ve made _myself_ very clear,” he replied icily, and moved to grab Neptune.

She blocked him with one arm; he dodged her uppercut. Neptune dropped instead, sweeping a leg out and knocking Iwamura’s feet out from under him. “Neptune, stop it!” Usagi cried. “Iwamura, please, let’s talk this out rationally!”

Her next words died in her throat. As he hit the ground, Iwamura let out an unearthly roar, and his skin shredded into thousands of pieces as an enormous black creature took his place. Mercury gasped and activated her visor.

The creature had a resemblance to the failed Daimon experiments that Neptune and Uranus first fought against, mixed with the shape of an enormous turtle. It breathed a smoke that made them all start to cough and made their throats and lungs burn. “CRESCENT BEAM!” Venus screamed, aiming for the creature’s mouth.

The smoke ignited, and Neptune screamed as her leg was caught in the flames before she could roll away. Venus looked horror-struck. “I’m sorry!”

“Be sorry later! Get her out of here!” Neptune yelled.

The creature was hardly phased by the fireball, and took a step that made the building shake and part of the wall collapse. “SUBMARINE REFLECTION!”

Venus was pulling Usagi away from the fight. She fought, kicking and screaming, tears streaming down her face. “No! No, it’s Iwamura! I can heal him, _I can heal him_!”

“Usagi, he _was shredded to pieces_ , there is _nothing_ left to heal!” Venus yelled, trying to pick her up and carry her off.

“No, no, no, no, no! I can! MOON ETERNAL MAKE-UP!” Usagi screamed, throwing her hand into the air.

Nothing happened. Usagi froze, eyes wide and shining with tears. Even Venus paused, stricken. “What?” She whispered. “No… No! MOON ETERNAL MAKE-UP! _MOON ETERNAL MAKE-UP_!”

“GET HER OUT OF HERE!” Neptune roared, as Mercury leapt out of the way of the creature’s next step. “SUBMARINE VIOLON TIDE!”

The creature swung its head, completely oblivious to the surge of power shot out from Neptune’s violin. Mercury was caught and thrown into Neptune; they smashed into the opposite wall, crying out in pain. Usagi screamed with them. “ _Let me go, let me go! MERCURY! NEPTUNE!_ ”

She reached for them, shrieking their names. Silver light shot out of her hand and struck them both. The light blinded everyone.


	7. Chapter 7

Mamoru struggled against Makoto and Haruka; the two women held him fast, Hiro at the ready to grab him if he broke loose. He was pale and wild-eyed. “Let me go! Usako is in danger!”

“She has help! Trust them to take care of her!” Haruka snapped.

“What if they can’t?!”

“Usagi is strong in her own right, Mamoru. She can handle herself,” Rei said calmly, though her face betrayed her own worry. Pluto nodded.

“Mamoru-sama, please calm down. What if you rushed in and caused everyone to be hurt?” Hotaru asked. “Chibi-usa-chan needs you here.”

Chibi-usa, holding the coffee table and practicing how to stand, squealed loudly when she heard her name. She waved her arms at her father. He sagged against Makoto. Hiro grabbed Mamoru’s shoulders and the three of them guided him to sit. “She’s terrified. I can’t just let her go… never forgive myself…” he mumbled.

“She’s in good hands, our kitten,” Haruka said. “Our girls would die before anything happened to her, and I know they don’t plan on dying anytime soon.”

Mamoru mumbled something else incomprehensible, his head drooping.

*~*

The force of the energy blast threw Venus and Usagi back several feet. Venus yelped; Usagi landed on top of her. She rolled off, apologizing quickly and turning to watch the fight. She sucked in a breath; Venus copied her. The light died, revealing Neptune and Mercury suspended in midair; their injuries were gone, and they seemed to sparkle with new energy. The monster shrieked as they landed gently, and took a step forward that shook the entire building.

Mercury and Neptune flew into action, splitting up to cause confusion. Mercury tapped her computer against the monster’s leg as she ran past it. Neptune used her mirror again, and the monster shrieked as the blast now cut through its leg. “Go Neptune!” Venus cheered.

“Watch out, Mercury!” Usagi cried as the monster’s tail whipped at her.

She nimbly leapt over it, however, and yelled, “SUPREME AQUA MIRAGE!”

Neptune landed in front of the monster; it was distracted by its now frozen tail, and Mercury now ran along its shell. Neptune breathed deeply, letting it out slowly, and raised her arms above her head. “LUNA… MARIA!”

Seawater erupted in front of her, swelled into a wave, and slammed into the creature. Mercury jumped. Her boots skimmed the wave’s crest, and she alighted in front of Neptune. The room darkened, the only bright spots glinting from the whites of Mercury’s gloves and boots. She swept her arms in a wide arc to cross in front of her torso, screaming, “POLAR MOON GLACIER!”

The monster tried to move as ice grew rapidly around its legs and body; it glinted off the encased creature. Mercury’s eyes narrowed slightly as she pulled her arms apart viciously. The ice shattered into millions of tiny crystals. The monster shattered with it. Venus, Usagi, and Neptune gaped. The color drained from Mercury’s face.

*~*

“I feel something very odd,” Luna said, sitting straight up and looking westward.

“Hmm?” Artemis didn’t look up.

Haruka was working with the cats, making a list out of the stolen NSC papers. “I feel it too. Dumpling, and Michiru.”

They looked at Mamoru, who was finally sleeping. “He isn’t reacting. I’ve seen him wake up instantly if Usagi-chan is in trouble…” Luna said quietly.

“I don’t sense any problems. Whatever it is, Minako isn’t part of it,” Artemis said, sitting up as well.

“Impossible, unless they’ve been separated?”

“They weren’t going far…”

Haruka was silent. The air felt so dead inside, even with the house crumbling around them. Her connections with her lover and her Princess only gave her an unexplainable feeling. She muttered an excuse to the felines and went outside. The clouds were gray with threatening snow, but there was little wind to speak of. Haruka ground her teeth together in frustration. As she clenched her hands into fists, a calming sense she’d nicknamed her ‘Michiru-self’ sprang to life in her mind. ‘ _Easy… I can’t sense anything if I’m not patient…’_

She closed her eyes, relaxed her hands, and fell into a meditative state. She listened carefully, breathing deeply through both her nose and mouth, blocking out all terrestrial noise. Several minutes passed. The wind picked up, ruffling her short hair. There was a tang of power in the air, a crackle that washed through her and tasted purely of Usagi’s immense love and power, but nothing more discernable than that. “Dumpling…”

*~*

Neptune and Mercury guarded the door; Mercury was running more data off of her computer, while Usagi and Venus sat inside with the director of the NSC. The three spoke quietly, only Usagi’s impassioned voice breaking through occasionally, but Mercury had tuned them out, focusing solely on the data before her. She had swiped some of the monster’s DNA into her computer for scanning. The results were giving her mixed feelings, and she wasn’t sure of the appropriate time to share her theories with the others. In the meantime, she was running as many possible causes as she could think of, while simultaneously figuring out if and how this would fit into the larger picture. “What’s wrong?” Neptune asked, keeping her voice low.

Mercury jumped. “I—sorry?”

“You sighed. Your fingers are moving so quickly, and you’re growing worry-lines from frowning. I can only think something has to be wrong,” Neptune replied.

Mercury rubbed the space between her brows self-consciously. “It’s… going to complicate things.”

“It wouldn’t be our lives if it didn’t.”

“I’ll need to confer with the data we have already to be absolutely sure, but I don’t think any of this is coincidental.”

It was Neptune’s turn to frown. “All of it is interconnected?”

“I’m afraid that signs are pointing to it. I’m running the data to see if there are any other possible outcomes, but the odds aren’t stacked in our favor,” Mercury said.

The two water warriors locked eyes; Mercury could swear there was a hint of fear in Neptune’s usually steady, calm gaze, but it was being repressed. She hoped her own worry and fear wasn’t written all over her face. ‘ _I wish I had her confidence…_ ’

Usagi’s voice rang clearly, “I would trust me, if I were in your shoes, Director. My sources are more reliable than yours at the moment.”

“That may be, but you’ll have a hard time convincing six billion others. I’m still not sure of it myself. The offer still stands,” the director’s voice replied steadily.

“I will need to discuss it with my friends. I will let you know.”

She and Venus came out, and Usagi strode ahead. Her tense, hunched posture said she was in one of her famous temper-tantrum moods, and she could be heard muttering. Venus shook her head when Mercury looked at her, mouthing ‘just let her cool off’. Mercury was slightly surprised. Usagi rarely let others push her buttons that much anymore—save for Rei—so she wondered what the director had said to put her in this mood.

They were halfway to Makoto’s house and ankle-deep in freshly-falling snow before Venus spoke up. “So, Usagi, what was the light show about earlier?”

The other woman whirled, her dress and hair fanning out around her in an elegant contrast to her face, which was set in irritable lines. “What?”

“The finger-twiddling, the upgrades for Mercury and Neptune, you had to have noticed that. What gives?”

Mercury hid a smile. Venus continued to tease and wheedle Usagi out of her irritated mood and into a more pleasant—for Usagi, anyway—whining-slash-please-don’t-hate-me mood all the way back to their base and through the door. “All I’m saying is, if you’re handing out new powers, you shouldn’t be so stingy and give some to me too!”

“Miiiiiinaaaaaaaaaaaaakooo-chaaaaaaan!”

Everyone winced at Usagi’s wail. Chibi-usa responded with her own cheerful screech. “MAAAAAAAAAAA!”

Hotaru steadied the child as she stomped around, one hand still grasping the table. Usagi hurried over and scooped her daughter up. “Oh, you’re not mean to me like Auntie Minako…”

“Give her a few years, remember,” Rei snickered.

“Hush, you. I’ll take what I can get now.”

“What happened earlier?” Haruka and Luna demanded. They started, and looked at each other; rarely were the matronly cat and the tomboy on the same wavelength, and only when it concerned Usagi.

Usagi blinked innocent eyes. “What do you mean?”

“Usagi’s being all powerful again,” Venus declared, arms akimbo. “And she’s holding out on me.”

“MINAKO-CHAN!”

Haruka scoffed. Neptune rested a hand on her lover’s shoulder to calm her. “We’ve had an… interesting day.”

Mercury held up her computer. “If I might have a few moments, I can collaborate with the data we have and be able to clear up some confusion.”

The others nodded. Usagi sat between her slumbering husband and Hotaru. “He didn’t even budge when you screeched, Usagi-sama,” Hotaru said softly.

Usagi made a face. A few giggles escaped the younger woman. “He does that. Between me and Chibi-usa and the hospital… He learned to adapt. Poor thing, he must have stayed up all night watching over us…” She brushed a few stray hairs off of her husband’s face. “After all these years, he still only trusts himself to watch me completely.”

Hotaru watched the tender moment in silence, and then shifted her gaze to Makoto and Hiro. She wondered briefly about her own lover, a young man she had met in a gen-ed geography course named Junpei, but pushed the thought away. Now was not the time for distractions. And yet… the thought crept back. She was slightly afraid for him; he was away with family, and she had no way of contacting him. Usagi touched her shoulder. “You okay, kiddo?”

The ebony-haired woman offered a smile. “It’s nothing…”

“It isn’t.”

She’d forgotten how Usagi was with these kinds of things, and it vexed her as well as warmed her to know that she genuinely cared that much. “My boyfriend. I don’t know if he’s alright. He was in Nagasaki with family.”

Venus sagged against the wall, rubbing her forehead. “I need to check on my parents at some point. Mom’s probably throwing a fit that she can’t get anything done around the house. Papa’s probably just happy he can’t get in to work.”

Rei was hiding her emotions behind her ‘priest-face’, as they called it. “Grandpa will be going crazy too, especially if his precious gardens are overgrown…”

Mercury said nothing of her own mother, hiding her emotions in her work. Usagi thought of her own family and looked away worriedly. Hotaru looked down, a sudden shyness resurging. “I’m sorry I brought it up…”

“No, Hotaru, don’t be. We all just have our priorities. And it’s just too bad that our families and loved ones slipped down on the list,” Usagi rushed to reassure her.

“The price of adulthood,” Venus grinned. “I’m just jealous you’ve got a man to worry about, Hotaru.”

She turned crimson, looking down hurriedly. Haruka chuckled. “Much to her old man’s chagrin.”

“Papa…”

“We’ll have to see about our families later, I’m afraid,” Ami announced. “Even with the limited data I have now, I can conclusively state that we’re facing a new enemy.”

“But we didn’t sense anything!” Haruka and Michiru chorused, offended. Luna and Artemis mewled in agreement.

She shook her head. “It’s not as simple as that. I need a more powerful computer to find the answers I need, but from what I can tell this is something that has been in the works for a very long time. The atomic bombs were the keys. And, unless I’m quite mistaken, Usagi’s act of saving us may have made the problem worse.”

Usagi felt numb. Made things worse? How else could she have worsened their problems? Chibi-usa gently beat her hands against her mother’s chest. “Maa?”

Luna regarded Mercury carefully. “You’re quite sure about this, Mercury?”

“Yes. Again, I’ll need a more powerful computer system to complete the analysis, but unless a new element is introduced, I’m afraid we’re in trouble.”

“What kind of enemies are we looking at, Ami?” Rei asked.

She turned her computer around, letting everyone see the small screen. “This is a DNA strand I was able to collect from the monster we faced earlier. You can’t tell just from looking at it, but when analyzed closely it’s clear that the genetic codes have drastically been mutated. This was once human DNA, but with an unknown element and the catalyst of time…”

“I murdered Iwamura?” Usagi whispered, horrified.

Mercury looked at her sympathetically. “In a way… yes and no. It’s best to think of it like the old saying, ‘a wolf in sheep’s clothing’. Iwamura didn’t exist anymore, not in the way you mean. His body remained, and the creature possessed his consciousness.”

Nonetheless, that was enough for Usagi, who broke down in tears. Pluto leaned in, studying the screen carefully. “So it’s like a cancer of the genetic code?”

“Well, cancer is a cell mutation, it doesn’t affect DNA*… I suppose in the crudest sense, yes, but based on what we saw it was more like a genetic splicing experiment gone horrifically wrong.”

“Maybe if you filled us in on what actually happened…” Haruka said, glancing at Neptune.

As Neptune told them about the monster who had once been Iwamura, Usagi wept quietly. She held Chibi-usa close; the girl fussed, trying to loosen her mother’s tight hold. Mamoru woke up almost instantly. He didn’t say anything, merely folding his small wife and daughter into his arms. Most of the others looked on with varying degrees of sympathy, but were drawn back to Neptune as she finished. “And we were only able to defeat it after Usagi used Silver Crystal magic on Mercury and me. We were granted new powers that were strong enough to stop it.”

“Why did Usagi use the Crystal?” Luna asked, a little suspiciously. “Why not just transform?”

“I c-couldn’t,” Usagi hiccupped. “I tried and tried, b-but… I wanted to heal Iwamura. He’s dead and it’s my fault.”

“Usako. What happened was meant to be. Not even your stubbornness could help, not without risking your own life,” Mamoru murmured.

Pluto looked pensive. “Usagi was unable to transform… and so she transferred some of her own power to her guardians. That takes no small amount of control.”

Luna and Artemis nodded. “It seems that way.”

The princess was attempting to control herself. She swatted at her cheeks furiously. “I can’t have transferred my powers. It isn’t possible. Is it?”

“You’re Serenity.” It was Neptune who spoke. She and her foster-family had been making it a habit to study the Silver, Golden, and Sailor Crystals over the past several years, and their knowledge now ranked just under Luna and Artemis. Their knowledge of the Golden Crystal was shakier, due to past tensions and information hoarding between the Earth and Moon Kingdoms, but with time and study they would be able to log it into their home castle computer systems. “You have the potential to wield a huge amount of power and disperse with it as you wish. Your power manifested in the form of Sailor Moon in this life, and it is only natural for it to take other forms in the event that the previous outlet has been blocked.”

“The Moon also controls water on Earth. It is possible that your power transferred to Mercury and Neptune because of their ties to the water, and thus a special bond with you. It was the simplest outcome,” Luna offered. Neptune nodded in agreement.

Venus made a face. “So I’m not getting an upgrade. Great.”

Artemis’ tail twitched. “Time will tell on that, Minako.”

Luna got up and stretched. “In the meantime, I want to test something. Usagi, if your power is growing the way I believe it is I want you to revive Makoto’s vegetable garden.”

As if on cue, stomachs rumbled. Nearly everyone laughed embarrassedly. “Single-day sustainability, I tell you. Our Sailor Crystals weren’t designed with the apocalypse in mind,” Hotaru muttered, still very red in the face.

Luna smiled a cat’s smile, and twitched her tail to follow. Usagi hesitated, but Rei and Venus made the decision for her: they man-handled her all the way out the door as she voiced protests. Mercury closed her computer gently. Artemis twined around her ankles. “We can see if the control center is still up and running. It’s probably in some kind of sleep mode, but as long as nothing has disrupted the main power source on the Moon…”

Makoto gaped. “What, running all this time? All these years?”

Artemis looked at her smugly, as only a cat could. “You would think Motoki would have noticed if the arcade’s power bills were through the roof—more so than usual. We’ve taken care of everything. We’ll go later, after we’ve eaten.”

On that cue, Rei and Venus returned triumphantly, arms full to the bursting of vegetables. “Once she’s warmed up, there’s nothing our Usagi can’t do!”

Usagi followed, looking hesitant as she wrung her hands. Everyone but Mamoru, Rei, and Venus was looking at her oddly, completely silent. Makoto went to the kitchen to try and find something that was still useable for cooking. Hiro accidentally bumped into Usagi, and after his strange apology and hasty exit, she stayed away from the group. Mamoru and Chibi-usa sat with her for a time, but her posture remained stiff and guarded.

It took a little more than an hour, Mars’ firepower, and Mercury’s water to lay out a spread of stews, casseroles, and assorted vegetarian dishes. It was gone in fifteen minutes, and everyone seemed more pleasant for having been fed. Dishes were argued over, and Usagi slipped away again. Luna followed her. “Usagi-chan.”

Usagi stared out the window at the snow, coming down hard again. She touched her reflection gingerly. “Luna, what aren’t you telling me?”

“Usagi, why haven’t you changed back? And what was holding you from transforming to Sailor Moon?” The cat phrased them as questions, but her intonation sounded as if she already knew the answers.

“I can’t. I’ve been trying. It just won’t come,” Usagi whispered.

“Then you already know the answer.”

“I’m afraid. Hiro-kun was so afraid…”

Luna hopped up onto the windowsill. “Usagi-chan… you hold a vast amount of power. Neptune said it earlier. Hiro was apologetic, and you can see that he regrets his rashness. He won’t be the first, and he certainly won’t be the last.”

“Princess.” Pluto came up behind them. “What do you fear more? Your power? Yourself?”

Usagi shook her head. “It’s not like that. I never liked how much power I held as Sailor Moon, but I accepted it. I’m afraid for what’s going to happen. I feel guilty, eating when there are so many out there who can’t do the same. I’m afraid for the future of everyone.”

Luna butted her head against her mistress’ hand. “If you place your fears for others above anything else, you will succeed. Act selflessly. The others will accept you in time. They always have. This is just… more than they were expecting.”

“All things come in time, my lady,” Pluto rested a comforting hand on her princess’ shoulder.

“Yes…” Serenity said softly, meeting her reflection’s eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *I’m aware that hereditary cancer syndrome does exist, but it’s a very low percentage. So while there are some genetic codes that are programmed into our DNA, Ami stating that cancer doesn’t affect DNA simply means that if a woman conceived a child while she had some form of cancer it doesn’t necessarily mean that the child is going to be born with a gene that states he or she will grow up and develop the same form of cancer his or her mother had, or be born with that form of cancer. Ami was also a first-year medical student studying in the year 2003, so she is also likely to make the occasional mistake/not have knowledge that we have now in 2012. /covering my butt ;)


	8. Chapter 8

Artemis escorted Tuxedo Kamen, Chibi-usa, and Hiro to the NSC compound. After much discussion, Serenity put her foot down that they should collaborate with the unstable government. It would provide some safer shelter than Jupiter’s house, and she was familiar enough with the compound that she trusted her co-workers to watch her family and Jupiter’s. Neptune and Uranus had argued heatedly with her about being used as pawns, but while she agreed with the sentiment, she saw no reason to doubt the sincerity to restore stability to their country. If, and only if, they felt they were being used as weapons instead of allies would they desert and help rebuild in their own ways. The argument was so heated that when it came time to split into groups, Uranus didn’t bother volunteering to escort Serenity to the nuclear site. It stung, but she accepted it. It was time that both women learned how their roles were going to change.

Instead, the lanky woman sided with Neptune, and Venus went with them, winking to Serenity that she’d keep an eye on them. They were going to recon the eastern side of the city, and check on Venus’ family in the process. Mercury, Jupiter, and Pluto headed east, watching Tuxedo Kamen’s back while performing their own recon; Luna accompanied them, and would split off with Mercury to analyze their new enemy in the Game Center Crown when they reached it. Serenity was left with Mars and Saturn, and they were headed towards Tokyo’s central districts and further north. They all agreed to meet in the government quarter after sunset, unless called otherwise.

Their Tokyo information was one of the incomplete papers that Luna and Artemis had stolen, finally decrypted. They were unsure if the transmission had been cut off due to radioactive damages or by Serenity’s power interfering before it was complete. Therefore, while the cats knew a bomb had been detonated in Tokyo, they didn’t know where or the magnitude of it. However, Serenity had also discussed Tokyo’s status as a potential attack site with the NSC director, and had learned that some of their people had been sent out to survey the city; there was an epicenter in the north of the city, and a sizeable blast zone surrounding it. She had used this information as her main point for collaboration, and even Uranus and Neptune were hard put to argue against it, though they tried.

Serenity felt that she needed to see for herself what she had done; with Neptune and Mercury, the only two with powers to beat any new monsters, in the other teams she hoped that either her own Crystal power or Saturn’s fearsome abilities could put a stop to any creature they came across. There were more arguments about Serenity wandering off practically unguarded, but Mars’ icy look silenced most of them. They would cover more ground separated, and Mars would die before anything should happen.

And so, northward they ventured. They stopped for a brief time at the Hikawa Shrine to check on Rei’s grandfather. The old man was unharmed but struggling, and Mars and Serenity suggested that he make for the NSC compound as well. Mars got on their communicators and let the others know he was on his way, so they could watch for him. Serenity cursed her skirts under her breath as they walked, hiking them up as high as decently possible and trying to knot the fabric at her waist. The material seemed endless though, and she still stumbled along the hemlines while climbing over rubble. “I could cut them off, Usagi-sama, but I feel they may grow back,” Saturn said, easily pole-vaulting over a crumbled walkway. Mamoru had finished mending her arm before they left, but cautioned against overworking it or it might re-break against the strain. As light as she was, she didn’t think this would do any damage.

“I appreciate the offer, and I feel the same,” Serenity replied, attempting to mimic her guardian but failing with a flop.

Mars heaved the woman back on her feet. “Klutz.”

“Meanie.”

“Crybaby.”

“Witch!”

“Love you too, Usagi.”

Saturn hid a smile. Serenity stuck her tongue out, and they continued. Luna would have questioned, and had done so before they left, her decision to let the others continue calling her Usagi, but she felt that the last two days had held enough earth-shattering revelations for a while. Her acceptance of this new aspect of herself, the would-be queen, was just something else to worry about. Serenity suspected most of them were under that impression anyway, and operating as such. She knew Mamoru was, for all they had only discussed it through glances and head movements.

An hour had passed before they ran into anyone else, and Serenity called a halt. A young boy, around five or six, was crying quietly on a street corner. “Are you all right?” She called.

He looked up. “S-Sailor Moon?”

Serenity went to him and knelt. Saturn and Mars followed, but kept a respectable distance. They knew she had a way with people, and Saturn’s blade was unfriendly enough. “What’s wrong?”

He sniffed. “Are you Sailor Moon? Are you gonna save everyone?”

She smiled. “I am Sailor Moon. And I hope I can help people.”

“Why d’you look different?”

“This is my ultimate form. I’m more powerful now, and I can fix a lot more than bad guys. Why are you crying?”

“My mom and dad, they’re… and my doggy. They vanished in the fireball,” he explained, and tears welled in his eyes again.

Serenity’s heart was in her throat. “What fireball?”

“The big one. It was there one minute, and everything felt so hot… Mommy hid me behind her, and she was screaming, and then it was like… it was like when your movie skips. You know, when the disk is scratched? Everyone was screaming and it was so hot and I just wanted it to stop, and then it was winter, and so cold and snowing, and Mommy and Daddy weren’t there anymore. They wouldn’t just leave me!”

Serenity felt Saturn and Mars’ gazes boring into her back. She turned slightly, and saw both of them were openly staring, mouths gaping open slightly and quite pale—even for their normally alabaster skins. She knew exactly what they were thinking: every one of them should be dead right now, and thanks to her, they weren’t. ‘ _Some did die though… some melted in the blast. I couldn’t save everyone…_ ’

She shoved that guilt aside for later. “I’m so sorry about your mommy and daddy, sweetheart. I need to know something though. Which way was the fireball? What way were you facing?”

He sniffed. “It was behind us, and we turned to look. We were coming from Akihabara.”

That was near the center of Tokyo’s wards. “They slipped right past us. All of us…” Serenity murmured vehemently.

“Who did, lady?”

“The bad men. We’re trying to find them. Don’t worry, we’ll do everything we can—” She reached out to grasp his shoulder.

The boy let out one shriek, and his skin tore into shreds, just as Iwamura’s had. Another enormous black monster broke free—this one resembling a dog, not a turtle. Serenity screamed for him, and backed away quickly. Mars and Saturn moved in front of her quickly, Saturn brandishing her glaive. Mars threw ofuda at it, chanting, but they may as well have been bits of newspaper from the way they simply slid off of the monster’s legs. “MARS FLAME SNIPER!”

The arrows vanished in flames against the creature, and it hardly flinched. “Protect the Princess!” Saturn called, and moved to the front.

Mars fell back, dragging Serenity with her. Saturn took a breath and let it out slowly. “SILENCE GLAIVE SURPRISE!”

She swung her blade and a thick fog encased the entire area. The monster was confused. Low sounds of pain came from it, and Saturn lit with triumph that at least some of her power was working. The fog was meant to encase and strike a foe that was too slow to get out of the way, and if only a bit of pain was the result, it was enough. She scoped out a vantage point and moved in a hurry. “DEATH REBORN! REVOLUTION!”

She charged. Mars shielded Serenity from the power waves of the attack. When they looked up, the fog had cleared and Saturn was sprawled out in front of them. “Got… a little…” She gasped, slightly dazed from the impact.

The monster seemed unaffected. Saturn sighed in a defeated way, her head lolling to the side. “The one time I get to strut my stuff…” she muttered.

“You’ve grown up cheeky. It’s your father’s bad influence,” Mars retorted. “MARS FIRE SNAKE!”

It was expected, but it too had little effect. Serenity bit her lip. Could she again? Four times in a day? And on purpose this time? ‘ _Please work…_ ’ “Saturn, Mars, grab my hands.”

They complied, and Serenity willed her entire spirit at them. She felt the Crystal’s warmth at her chest, and it spread down her arms and through to her friends. Silver light flared brightly. Mars and Saturn were instantly refreshed, looking better than they had for days. “Go!” She urged them, and leaned back on her elbows with fatigue.

Saturn spun her glaive with vigor. The blade shone silvery-purple. “LUNA SONUS!”

The air felt heavy and nonexistent all at once. They froze. Serenity felt as if her ears were about to pop; the monster roared and stomped soundlessly. The ground vibrated under them from the force of the blows, and some of the nearby buildings started to crumble soundlessly as well. Mars snapped to attention and moved. It was as if someone had turned up the volume again, and Serenity’s head cleared. Mars’ gloves glowed red. She brought her hands before her and moved as if she were chanting. The sky went dark, and a red circle shone through the thick clouds. “RED MOON KISS!”

A black spirit descended from the heavens and enveloped the monster. Its shriek was stifled by death. It vanished with the spirit, and the lighting returned to normal. Mars sank to her knees. “What… on Earth…”

“Mars…” Serenity reached for her tentatively.

“Did you… did you see that?! I’ve never… I’ve… I killed it!”

Saturn knelt and rested a hand on Mars’ shoulder. “Relax. Hysteria won’t help anyone right now.”

Mars was shaking. The younger woman glanced at Serenity. “It wasn’t alive, not in the sense that we know,” Saturn said.

Serenity was feeling shaky herself. “The one we fought earlier today… I thought it might still be Iwamura, but after Ami-chan said… she did say whatever possesses these people kills them the moment they break free.”

“It’s a life, though. A living creature. How do you stand it, Usagi?” Mars asked.

Serenity shook her head. She felt awful. Mars’ training as a priest gave her an affinity towards the sanctity of life. She often teased the priest that she now knew how she’d felt as Sailor Moon, facing all of those enemies and holding someone’s life in the balance. Rei had always scoffed that she’d known it before schooling, it was just that ritual and spiritual training had reinforced it. She hiked her skirts up again and crawled over to the ashen priest, hugging her. “It’ll be okay, Rei-chan…”

Snow fell silently as Mars shed silent tears.

*~*

Venus had made it a point to check on Usagi’s family as well, as they lived near enough to her family. Uranus and Neptune went along grudgingly; she knew Neptune was fine with it and putting on a show for Uranus’ sake, but she felt that Uranus was digging her heels in more than she should. Usagi and Uranus were close, and arguing had probably hurt more than the older woman let on, but Venus felt the entire affair was silly. There were more important things to worry about than being the playthings of a crumbling government. She said so on the way to the Tsukino residence. Uranus grumbled. “It’s not just that. It’s also that we’re sending your families to live under their roof. They could be used against us, should we feel the need to break off.”

“Right, we’re so powerless against their defunct guns. Lighten up, Uranus. You didn’t hear the director, he doesn’t sound as confident as he wants to about the state of things,” Venus said, waving her hand carelessly. “I’m surprised more at you, Neptune. You were there.”

“You all made very certain to keep the conversation quiet. I had more important things to attend to than eavesdropping,” the green-haired soldier replied smoothly.

“It doesn’t matter. I just don’t feel right about this,” Uranus said.

“And you have that right. It just puts everyone off when you argue with your precious ‘Dumpling’. It might be wise to start deferring to her judgment.”

“I’ll start when I figure out how you learned the definition of a word like ‘deferring’,” Uranus muttered. Neptune’s hand on her arm silenced her.

Venus ignored the jibe. The older blonde was prickly when she was upset, and it wasn’t worth the wrinkles to be upset by her. Shingo was there when they arrived at the Tsukino’s, and it seemed as if everyone was fine. Venus told them about the safety arrangements, and Mama Ikuko said they would make their way over as soon as they could. “Venus-san…. Where’s my sister?” He asked as they turned to go.

Venus flashed her thousand-watt smile. “Saving the world, as usual. She’s with Saturn and Mars. You know Mars. She’s in good hands.”

“Did she… she had something do to with all of this, didn’t she?”

Papa Kenji and Mama Ikuko looked at them worriedly from behind Shingo. “She didn’t hurt herself doing this, I hope,” Papa Kenji said.

The three senshi traded looks. “She’s… alright, after what happened. We don’t understand it fully ourselves,” Neptune said. “She _has_ grown in power, I can say as much. I was the beneficiary of some of her new growth. We’re working it out.”

“Mamoru-san can explain more when you get to the NSC,” Uranus added. “We have things to do.”

“Stay safe, won’t you?” Mama Ikuko called as they left.

*~*

Jupiter and Pluto picked their way through the rubble in the streets. This was an older ward of Tokyo, and some of the buildings had not lasted 500 years of neglect, weathering, and other natural causes. “We’ve got a lot of work cut out for us…” Jupiter said wistfully, propping a hand on her hip and looking back at the destruction.

Pluto said nothing; her face remained carefully guarded of all emotion. Jupiter glanced at her and half-smiled. “You know, you’re pretty obvious when you don’t want to give away any of your time-knowledge. You think Usagi’s going to be the one to fix it.”

“I don’t know,” Pluto replied honestly. “It is as I said before: all possibilities are knotted into this moment in time. We could go a thousand different directions and I won’t know our exact path until we are on it. And it does all rely on Usagi’s decisions. She may fix it, she may defer to another authority. She may do a hundred things.”

“She’ll make the right choice.”

“Of that, I have no doubts. She always does. We just won’t know what the outcome will be of that decision.”

Jupiter shook her head. “All this makes my head hurt. Even if her decision is the right one, we might end up in a bad way anyway. I don’t know how you can stand it.”

Pluto smiled a Mona Lisa-smile. “I’ve been at this for longer than you believe. And who’s to say I’m not insane? Certainly not the woman who has thrown her life on the line on a regular basis for the past nine years.”

Jupiter grinned outright at that. They moved on. They received three calls on their communicators as they criss-crossed through the city; two were from Venus about more stragglers to the NSC, and one from Saturn about Mars’ grandfather and another monster. Jupiter and Pluto shared a look at that last part. “More monsters… I’ll let Mercury know. She and Luna can let Artemis know about everything.”

As the brunette made the call, she fervently prayed that they would run into no monsters on their recon mission. Without Mercury or Usagi, they would have no defenses against one, and she didn’t think it wise to leave one of these creatures loose in an already terrified city. Pluto, meanwhile, made her way to a vantage point, and observed the city silently.

*~*

Serenity forced the door open and emerged on a rooftop. It had taken some stubborn arguing and a lot of panicking to make it to the top of the eighteen-story, deteriorating building, but she had wanted a vantage point to see the destruction the bomb had caused. Followed by her guardians, she made her way to the roof’s edge, and looked out. “Oh my…”

“Kami save us…”

The crater wasn’t as big as she was expecting, but still likely covered several city blocks. From this distance it was difficult to tell. Nothing remained within a mile of it. Serenity wasn’t as good with this kind of thing as Mercury would have been, but it was probably telling for the time it took for the bomb to detonate and for her Crystal to take hold. It was miraculous that the blast zone was only a mile. Everyone in Japan knew about the effects of nuclear bombs. The building they stood on now shouldn’t even be standing. Saturn said as much. “It was in the ground, probably,” Serenity replied. “We were working on that theory. If it’s the same as the Ho Chi Minh City bomb, it wasn’t dropped from an airplane like at the end of the war. Bomber planes are hard to miss. I just wish I knew how they could get it underground without being noticed…”

They fell silent. Serenity closed her eyes. She had cried enough today over things beyond her control; she would mourn for those who had died later. Instead, she swore to bring justice upon those who had caused their deaths. ‘ _You are not forgotten… Justice may not be a punishment that you see fit, but you will be avenged.’_

Mars took her hand, and chanted prayers for the dead. Saturn grasped the priest’s other hand and bowed her head respectfully. A cold wind pressed against their backs, carrying the priest’s prayers across the barren gravesite of thousands. “…may all beings be peaceful and at ease, and may all beings be free from suffering.”

*~*

Mercury spent more time fielding communicator calls than she wanted. Luna took over running the computers after the third one. “You guys! I’m glad to be in the loop, but I need to get some work done!” She cried as Mars popped up on the screen again.

“This is probably important. What do you make of this?” Mars turned the video feed around and showed the impact zone.

Mercury pressed a few buttons and transferred the feed to one of the spare computer models. “How big?”

“From this distance we can’t really tell. Couple of city blocks, nothing left within a mile of it. We need some binoculars.”

“It’s perfectly safe now; you’d be able to walk with no problem.”

Mars sounded distressed. “It’s hallowed ground for now. I’d feel… wrong about it.”

Mercury and Luna shared a look. The report of the second monster, and the story of the boy it had overtaken, had hit the both of them in uncomfortable places. “That many?”

“We’re in Akihabara. North of that…”

She winced. That was a horribly busy section of the city. She brought up a map of the city, and began laying out points of interest, hoping it might clear up some problems. “How’s Usagi taking it?”

“Better than I am. Sort of. It’s hard to tell.”

“Mars, you know that boy was gone before you killed that creature.” She had heard about Mars’ breakdown from Jupiter; apparently Saturn had spared no details, including a message of ‘I told you so’ to Pluto.

“Because you were so clear-headed after you destroyed your monster.”

Mercury had nothing to say in response to that. Instead, she said, “I’m making a map. Visuals may help us make something out of what’s going on. I’ve got your location marked. Keep us updated if you find anything else.”

“Right. Mars out.”

Luna came over to look. “What can you hope to gain from this?”

“A pattern. If nothing else, a bargaining chip. It will take much longer for government cartographers to make this up. I wish I could see other cities, if we’re going to be dealing with monsters elsewhere…”

Luna looked back at her computer models. “It may be safe to say we will.”

“We’re going to have to split up, eventually.”

“We’ll come to that decision later, if we must. Right now, from all accounts, it’s not safe, even if we were to send you all out in pairs now. But… I may be able to help with making similar maps of other cities,” the cat said, and pressed a few buttons. “Just give me a few moments, it hasn’t been used in eons…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the manga, Saturn’s Silence Glaive Surprise attack created a preventative fog; since the effects in the anime were unknown, I use that. Death Reborn Revolution is also not her world-destroying attack, as only her glaive dropping causes the world’s rebirth. All of Saturn’s non-Crystal-upgraded attacks are drawn from the manga or the video games, and can be found on wikimoon. Any unfamiliar attacks can be found there, aside from the Crystal-upgraded attacks I have invented.


	9. Chapter 9

Mercury spent the night in the control center working; she called to check in with the others when she realized she’d missed their return time, and assured them that she had a very good reason for her uncharacteristic lateness.

That reason manifested the next morning. “Mercury!” Serenity cried in relief as she walked through the door to their temporary quarters.

The blue-haired warrior was laden with rolled up papers. “Sorry if I worried anyone. I thought these might help us.” She knelt, scattering the papers without much care, and unrolled one of them.

It was a map of Tokyo, complete with marked out areas of the bombing epicenter, the blast zone, areas of extreme decay, and marked spots where they had faced their new monsters. Everyone gathered around, murmuring their surprise or appreciation. “This is… this is a satellite image. A current, perfect satellite image,” Mamoru said. “Mercury, how…”

“That would be my doing,” Luna said, trotting up and sounding every bit the smug kitty. “The observation equipment we have on the Moon hasn’t been affected in the least these past few centuries. The stable environment surrounding the Moon Kingdom has been most helpful in keeping it in pristine condition. We were able to access and download current information from the remote setup in our control center with no problem.”

Mercury was smiling in a way she rarely did. “And we have an upper hand, in case things go south here.”

“Has it been running this whole time?” Venus asked.

“No, it was on stand-by.”

Everyone gathered around as Mercury spread each map out and explained it. Ho Chi Mihn City was one of them, and it was a mild relief to see the comparison of the few and otherwise overgrown remains and those of Tokyo. They had gotten off lightly, all things considered. The other fifteen cities ranged in damages, and Mercury explained that other factors played in that. A large portion of southern California was ravaged, and Mercury pointed to a cross between the bomb in Los Angeles and resulting earthquakes shaking the already-fragile soil. An attack in Washington DC had all but decimated the capital. Lisbon, London, and Vienna were all middle-ranged, but Uranus pointed out their placement in conjunction with global wind patterns and how, if no one had been frozen, the radiation sickness would have spread over most of Europe quickly. Minsk was likely under the same suspicion, to spread radiation to Moscow and Russia. “Why not Tel Aviv?” Neptune asked as Mercury unrolled the next map. “It would throw suspicion on anti-Semantic groups. Why did they hit Tehran and not Tel Aviv?”

“There was a car bomb in Tel Aviv that same day,” Serenity explained. “That’s what I was doing before it happened. I don’t know if it’s linked, and was meant to be a distraction, or if it was a coincidence.”

“It’s a convenient coincidence…” Uranus murmured, thinking.

“It’s surprising they didn’t hit Dubai. It’s a financial center,” Venus said off-handedly. Everyone looked at her. “What?! Okay, it’s a nice place to vacation too! Geez, guys. Research before you vacation, everyone knows that!”

Mercury looked thoughtful. “A good thought, Venus, but not entirely likely. They’re not hitting all of the financial centers of the world, or else New York City would have been hit. Perhaps they thought it would be a copy-cat attempt from the attacks two years ago… erm, excuse me, five hundred and some years ago if they did. And look here, Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro are hardly top 50 financial candidates and they’ve got some of the widest spread damages.”

Johannesburg, Khartoum, and Lagos made up their African cities, all with moderate damage. Sydney and Melbourne were almost completely demolished, and New Delhi finished their list with minimal damage. Uranus let out a low whistle. “Most of these places are in prime locations to spread the radiation around… If you hadn’t stopped it, Dumpling…”

They shared a look. Uranus silently apologized for the day before, and Serenity smiled in return. “Is there any way we can narrow down to an enemy base?” Venus asked.

“China wasn’t attacked,” Mars murmured.

“If we’re going on which countries weren’t attacked, there’s over two hundred to pick from,” Uranus retorted. “And quite a few of them are nuclear.”

“The North Koreans?”

“What interests do they have in Nigeria or South Africa?”

“Usagi said no one credible claimed the previous attacks, why should they have been behind these?” Jupiter asked.

As the girls continued to bicker, Mercury unrolled the last map, a world satellite image. Marks of all of the attacks and non-nuclear devastated areas covered it. Serenity stared at it, trying to make sense of it all. “What do you make of it?” Mamoru asked, coming up behind her.

“It’s a mess,” she replied, feeling helpless.

“Where do you want to start?”

She looked up at him hopefully. He nodded. “I know, Usako. I had a feeling…”

“I’m so glad. I wanted to talk to you about it.”

“It’s been difficult, I know. Just… just let me know if you need help. We’re in this together, remember.”

Serenity leaned against him. “I’ll never forget it, Mamo-chan.”

Mercury watched the two. “You’re really going to do it, Serenity-sama,” she said. “When were you going to let the rest of us in on it?”

Serenity nodded, looking sheepish. “I should have guessed you’d figure it out first. And please, Ami-chan. I don’t want to be so formal, ever. Not with you. Not with the girls. I just… I didn’t want anyone else to be burdened with the shock of it. Not yet.”

Mercury mimed locking her lips closed. Serenity gave her a grateful smile. “Well, I think first… I want people out of the cold. I want to give them shelter. I did it before, when I resurrected the world from Saturn’s destruction. It was hard, but… I think I can do it.”

Mamoru took her hand. “You’re sure you can do it?”

She nodded. “I feel… I feel more confident now than I did then. I feel better. More in control.”

She and Mamoru went outside; she waved off her guardians for now, and Chibi-usa was under Mama Ikuko and Papa Kenji’s care. Mamoru would watch her back, as he always did. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly once they were outside. She blocked out the sound of the people shouting at the Diet Building not very far away. She ignored the cold. Instead, she reached deep into herself and found the warm, intimidating glow she had always associated with the power of the Silver Crystal that resided within her. She cupped her hands in front of her, closed her eyes, and breathed steadily. The warmth of her power enveloped her, and lifted her off the ground. She focused the power of her wish, her wish for everyone to have a safe place to reside in, through that warmth and spread her arms wide open.

Mamoru watched her from the ground. It always amazed him just how much power she kept within herself. The sky seemed to darken as the ball of light containing her small form brightened, and then waves of silvery light spread out in all directions. Mamoru shielded his eyes and tried to look elsewhere.

Buildings that stood half-tall reformed, like a celestial rewind button had been pressed. Buildings that remained in foundation and rubble only were not, and instead the rubble vanished, leaving clear spaces in their stead, perhaps for eventual new homes. Mamoru turned, and even the NSC compound was rebuilding itself. People flooded out of the doors, screaming in fright; the Sailor Senshi, their families, and Luna and Artemis exited in a more disciplined manner. The cats, exposed to Silver Crystal magic, morphed into their human forms. The distant shouts of the mobs died away. Some people were starting to gather, and Mamoru felt tense as he worried for his wife.

The crowds grew. After almost forty-five minutes, the light died down, and Serenity floated back down to the ground. Her tier had manifested at some point, elongated into its scepter-staff form. The bow at the back of her dress, once small, now dwarfed her small frame as it resembled large butterfly wings. People whispered in awe as her legs buckled beneath her; Mamoru rushed to catch her before she fell. “I’m fine, Mamo-chan… just a bit tired,” she said.

“Let’s get you inside.”

He helped her walk, supporting her on one side as she supported herself on the other using her staff as a walking stick. “I feel like an old lady,” she grumbled.

“You’ll feel better when you sit and eat, Usako-baachan,” he teased.

She swatted at him half-heartedly. Serenity inwardly winced as she noticed the crowd of people gathered around, and waiting for them at the top of the stairs. They paused near the director, surrounded by several security chiefs. “Inform the Diet of what I have done,” she told him. “Tell them… it’s a boon.”

“And a warning,” Mars commented from her other side.

Serenity looked. Her senshi flanked them. “Mars…”

“It’s a warning that we cannot and will not be manipulated against our wishes,” the priest continued, ignoring Serenity. “We have power, and we will use it as we see fit.”

The director looked at them each in turn, from Uranus’ steely gaze to Serenity’s tired one, and then nodded. “It will be done.”

*~*

Serenity insisted on staying. For one, she felt like her muscles had turned to noodles. For another, she wanted to stay on hand when her deal with the government began. Everyone questioned her decision until she snapped; yelling that her decision was final and anyone who felt differently could leave. No one left, and several tense, quiet hours passed before she apologized for losing her temper. Jupiter was the first to bring up the other question on everyone’s mind. “Usagi-chan, it might be easier on everyone if you just tell us what your plan is. You aren’t one to keep these things to yourself.”

Pluto came to stand next to Serenity. Serenity puffed out her cheeks in agitation. “It’s just so much easier when I’m the only person who really has to worry about it…”

Venus crossed her arms in front of her. “Sheesh, you only worked in government a few weeks and they already had you dealing in secrets. What, was that a class you had to take to graduate?”

Serenity stuck her tongue out. Venus returned the favor. “Seriously, Usagi,” she said. “I’ll tell them if you won’t.”

She shook her head. “No, Venus, I’ll do it… It’s partly what I told you to get you guys here. They offered us shelter in exchange for information, and I agreed to it provided that I talk to you about it first. We did, and here we are. Well, on a technical note I dissolved that agreement by rebuilding the city. We have somewhere to stay, and I _did_ tell the director about Iwamura… the new monsters we’re facing. We’re even.”

“But…” Mars interjected.

“But I don’t want to foster a bad relationship.”

“And…?” Neptune asked.

“There’s more to it.”

“Which is…?” Jupiter let the question hang.

Serenity took a breath and said it very quickly, “They want me to be a go-between.”

Everyone looked at her blankly. “As in… a marriage go-between?” Marks asked skeptically.

“Sort of; it’s more to get people on the government’s good side, to avoid more of what happened at the Diet Building. We talk to people, tell them the government is doing all they can, and then bring back needs to the government. It was worded more offensively than that, I’m being nice about it,” she said, and Venus nodded in agreement. “Well, I know what the people need. They need food, and shelter, and no bureaucratic nonsense to get in the way of it.”

“She just sped things along,” Venus added.

“You’re putting more of a negative light on the government,” Neptune commented. “Speeding things along like this. You’re proving you can provide for them where their elected officials can’t.”

Serenity had nothing to say in return. Neptune’s eyebrows rose slightly as understanding dawned on her. Mamoru spoke up, “It’s on their end for now, and we’ll do everything we can to prevent them from trying to abuse Usako’s powers for their gain.”

Uranus rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “Did you only rebuild Tokyo?”

Serenity winced slightly. “I tried to contain it to Japan, but once I saw the scale of destruction everywhere…”

“You rebuilt… the entire planet, sis?” Shingo’s voice asked, awestruck.

The senshi all glanced back. Their families were gathered around, listening intently. Varying degrees of confusion and shock were written all over their faces; most of them knew their daughters’ friends—as well as their daughters themselves—held more power than they could imagine, but that one of them held enough power to undo centuries of damage… It was one thing to know. It was another to witness, and another entirely to realize that the event had taken place on a grander scale than you had imagined. “Kami-sama…” Venus’ mother whispered.

“Wait, you _saw_?” Mars asked.

Serenity tapped her temple. “I could see everything, as soon as I called on the Crystal’s power. I saw what needed fixed, what needed to be removed… I even saw where I could build new shelters for those who had nothing. I saw everything. I saw everyone.”

Jupiter started to speak, but an aide rushed in at that moment. “Chiba-san, your presence is requested immediately.”

“With whom?” She asked, sitting as upright as she could.

“Several Diet officials wish to speak with you.”

Serenity held out her hand, and Mamoru pulled her to her feet. “Alright.”

“I’m coming with you,” Mamoru and Uranus chorused.

She nodded. “Venus, you too. Please.”

The blonde grinned, flashing her V-for-victory sign. “As if I’d miss out.”

*~*

“Chiba-san, you put us in a delicate situation,” one of the men started.

“Please. It’s Serenity,” she said.

The men glanced at each other. “Serenity, then. I was of the understanding that you had agreed to work with us, not against us.”

She shook her head. “I have done nothing of the sort. I have fostered goodwill, and placated the population by giving them shelter. Their only other necessity now is food, Dietman…?”

“Hino. Hino Takashi.”

Serenity looked him over. She hoped her surprise wasn’t as obvious as it felt. She had never met Rei’s father; she rarely mentioned him unless she had to, and even then they knew little about him. She remembered that he would take her to dinner on her birthday, and said she looked good in white—which Serenity felt was the only opinion they might share—and that Rei would, to this day, go pale and silent in fury if you mentioned him to her. Serenity had seen pictures of Rei’s mother, Risa, and while Rei clearly took after her mother it was undeniable that Dietman Hino was her father. They shared the same intense eyes, and the way he was looking her over reminded her strongly of the priestess when she was reading a person’s mental state and body language. “Yes, Dietman Hino. My apologies. And your associates are?”

“This is Dietman Watanabi, and Dietman Guro.”

They nodded to her and she returned the gesture. “Now, as you say, you were merely providing for our people. However, you acted outside of the will of the government. You can see how we might find that to be breaking our agreement.”

“I was hardly acting outside of the government’s will. Honestly, if seeing their constituents freezing and starving to death is an act outside of the government’s interests, I’m not entirely certain that the government’s interests are in the best place,” Serenity replied, her tone like iron.

“Truthfully, Serenity has held up her end of the bargain more than enough, and we may have reached an ending point,” Uranus added. “We traded vital information and provided services. Your exchange for shelter isn’t necessary anymore. Unless you have something more valuable to offer for our continued… obedience.”

The Diet members’ faces were unreadable. “We shall have to discuss it with our fellows…” Dietman Watanabi murmured.

“Do you have means to feed the population?” Venus asked.

“At this moment, we have yet to…”

“Then that is your responsibility, Dietman. If all you have planned now is to scold my wife for her charitable actions, we’ll take our leave,” Mamoru said.

“A moment,” Dietman Hino said. “We have one request, and then you may go.”

Dietman Guro cleared his throat. “We have reports of monsters you and your… warriors are fighting. In the past, we have left such matters to you with little question. Most of the time we were hardly aware of the situation until it was nearly over. But these… these creatures. Do you k now what you’re facing?”

“Are you asking to confirm your own suspicions, or genuinely asking?” Uranus countered.

Dietman Hino looked at her. “It’s a concern for everyone. The last thing we need is yet another alien force attempting to take over while we’re recovering from this disaster. We’re vulnerable enough as it is.”

Serenity touched Uranus’ wrist to silence her. “We’re working on a theory. Once we discover how this has happened, we’ll take care of it. As usual.”

Serenity heard Venus snicker as the Diet members attempted to hide their shock at her rudeness. “You will watch your tongue, young lady,” Dietman Hino snapped, red-faced.

Serenity stood. “I’m not a child anymore, Dietman Hino. I have the advantage here. If you want my continued cooperation, it’s _you_ who should watch _your_ tongue.”

With that she whirled and stormed out of the room, her husband and friends following.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((Serenity’s dress takes the form of that in the manga; I’m not exactly a fan of her anime form, as anyone who has seen my Neo-Queen Serenity cosplay can attest))


	10. Chapter 10

Several days passed. Their families came and went, tending to their homes and bringing back information in the form of gossip. Serenity was unsettled by reports from the Ainos and her own family that people were still starving and that the government was stuck in a bureaucratic discussion about how to handle it. Her own regular discussions with government staff proved fruitful: engineers all over were working fast to establish some sort of contact with the outside world. Radio contact with Taiwan had been made almost a week after the world had awakened. The Southern hemisphere, as it was summer, was working to a full harvest of what wild food still grew. Shipping on a mass international scale was going to be impossible without sacrificing some of their own people, and it would take days before any cargo landed. It would be longer still before it was transported far inland.

She felt guiltier still when Jupiter would bring vegetables from her home for everyone to eat; apparently, the Silver Crystal had sent her garden into a sort of accelerated growing season, and threw out new vegetables every other day.

                No new monsters appeared, and Serenity wondered if it was because she kept herself cloistered in the compound. She discussed it with Mercury, who was making regular trips to their control center as well as assisting her mother in the field for medical problems, and Mercury agreed that it was likely the reaction to the Silver Crystal that set off their new foes. “You would think, since I gave you your new powers, they would react to you,” Serenity commented before her friend left again.

                “You blessed me with these powers, Your Highness,” Mercury said, and her lips twitched into a smile when the princess stuck her tongue out. “It’s not as if you gave me a piece of the Crystal itself… Hmm…” She drifted off, her blue eyes alight with an idea.

“What? What’d you think of?”

“Oh, it’s… it’s just a thought. Don’t mind me,” Mercury smiled again and left. Luna shrugged her shoulders when Serenity looked at her, and followed. Her feline advisers had remained in their human forms for now. Luna was working with Mercury while Artemis stayed behind to relay information as it came in, or—more accurately, as Venus was quick to point out—take naps when he had a free moment. It sure was something to see Artemis, whose human form was quite long and lanky, curl up in a ball at a moment’s notice.

Twelve days after they had awakened, Serenity could stand it no more. She gathered herself, her husband, and her tier and marched out to the plaza. “Usako, you’re sure about this?” Tuxedo Kamen asked.

“As sure as anything.”

“You know you’re probably playing into their hands, right?”

“Doing their work for them? It’s crossed my mind. The people will respond accordingly,” Serenity responded firmly. Tuxedo Kamen had rarely seen that look in his wife’s eyes. The number could be counted on one hand. Each time had resulted in the death of an aspect of Chaos.

He braced himself, and breathed out slowly. He summoned the scepter given to him by Helios. The top glowed with the power of the Golden Crystal. Serenity took his free hand. “Everything will be fine, Mamo-chan.”

With the power of the Golden Crystal to stabilize and ground, literally, the ferocious growing power of the Silver Crystal, they worked for more than an hour. At some point, Venus, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, and Jupiter came outside to make sure the growing crowd stayed at a respectable distance. When at last the light died down, Serenity was caught by Venus as she swayed on her feet. Jupiter steadied Tuxedo Kamen, but she was clearly surprised. “Y-Your suit.”

Serenity looked. Her husband’s formal wear had changed to a dusky twilight. “Endymion.”

“Your Majesties…” Pluto murmured, inclining her head slightly.

The others followed her lead; Jupiter’s eyes were wide with realization. Serenity was too tired to glare at Pluto properly. “I’ll get you for that later…”

Pluto smiled, cat-like. “As my Queen wishes.”

“What did you two do?” Uranus asked.

Endymion stood on his own as Jupiter stepped back. “We brought the harvest to the Northern Hemisphere, in a manner of speaking.”

“Your garden is growing out of control still,” Serenity said to Jupiter. “I got the idea from that.”

“How long will it last?” Neptune asked.

“Hopefully it will last long enough that everyone will get fed now. Meat will still be scarce, until people can domesticate animals again. If there are any domesticated herds left,” Endymion said. “Some may have been killed off by unchecked hunters.”

“But no one else will starve. That’s a relief,” Jupiter said.

Serenity nodded. “I just hope we weren’t too late for too many people…”

“Sailor Moon!”

They turned. A few people were rushing forward. “Sailor Senshi! Is it true?”

“They say you have made food! People are coming out of their homes, saying their gardens are alive and thriving!”

“Sailor Moon you have saved us all!”

Serenity smiled. “It was nothing. I couldn’t stand to see everyone suffering any longer.”

“How can we repay you?”

“Go and eat,” she said, and a few laughed. “Build your strength so we can rebuild our world.”

“Sailor Moon!” Two children rushed forward, arms outstretched.

Serenity knelt to intercept the hug. Their arms met. The children didn’t even have a chance to scream before their bodies were shredded to bits as two monsters erupted from them—this time a rabbit and a snake. Uranus shouted at the civilians to back away as she grabbed Serenity around the waist and pulled her back as the snake lunged. The snake’s fangs hit the concrete, which melted with a soft hiss. “Kami-sama…” Serenity whispered.

“No time for prayers now,” Uranus cautioned, and summoned her sword.

“SPACE SWORD! BLASTER!”

The beam of light ricocheted off of the snake’s writhing skin. People screamed as they dodged its lashing tail. The rabbit hopped forward towards a group huddled together; the ground shook violently with each step. Uranus swore colorfully. “You got any strength left to give us the edge up?”

Serenity locked eyes with Endymion. He moved and knelt behind her, holding her shoulders. His hands glowed with a soft golden light. She felt stronger with his assistance. “Yes! Uranus, everyone, grab my hands!”

She reached out. Neptune went on the offensive, distracting the rabbit-monster from making the civilians its afternoon snack. The others went to circle Serenity. Her guardians took hold, and she breathed deeply. She found her inner source of power, and exhaled, pushing it through her arms and through to her friends. The blinding light of the Silver Crystal flashed momentarily, and left her four soldiers brimming with new energy. Uranus smirked. “One hell of a pick-me-up you’ve got there. Thanks, kitten.”

Serenity smiled encouragingly. Pluto took a defensive stance and positioned herself in front of Serenity and Endymion, her Time Key held in front of her. She nodded to her comrade. Uranus faced the snake again. “All right. Let’s try that again.” She brandished her sword, and held it aloft. “LUNA BOTHYNUS! TEMPESTAS!”

A shower of golden stars seemed to erupt from her sword, and embedded themselves within the snake’s side. It screeched horribly, and Serenity cried out, covering her ears. Jupiter stepped forward. Her tiara bore a lightning rod once more. “My turn!  FULL MOON THUNDER!”

The sky turned green-black. Dozens of lightning bolts shot from the cloud base and fried the snake. Jupiter gaped. “No time for that!” Neptune snapped her back to attention; she jerked her arms back, controlling the tides that kept the rabbit at bay.

“Hang on, Neptune!” Venus called. She struck a pose and winked. “I’m finally back to full power!”

“Stop with the theatrics!” Endymion shouted.

Venus pulled an eyelid, sticking her tongue out. “No fun!”

She brandished her old, ruby-and-gold chain belt. Whirling it like a lasso, she let it fly, shouting, “YIN MOON ELICITATION!”

The whip struck the rabbit. It too shrieked in defeat, and Venus gasped. White lightning raced up the length of the chain and shot through her. “VENUS!” Jupiter rushed towards her but Pluto stopped her with a shout of her own. “Look!”

Venus was laughing as the lightning danced over her skin. The rabbit vanished, and the tides evaporated with it. Venus fell to the ground, still laughing. Jupiter ran to help her up. “Venus, snap out of it.”

“The power… it’s so… tingly! It’s… it’s great, just… look!” Venus giggled, pushing Jupiter’s nose with a finger: some small bits of lightning traveled up her finger and vanished into Jupiter’s skin.

The tall brunette yelped, grabbing her nose with both hands and dropping Venus in the process; the blonde was too busy giggling to notice. “Ow! What did you do—hey,” she blinked, and stood straighter.

“What did she do?” Serenity asked.

“It’s like… I was a little worn from that attack, but I’m completely refreshed now,” Jupiter said, looking down at the writhing, giggling senshi.

“She did say ‘elicitation’,” Neptune mused. “She’s taken all of the enemy’s energy. And now she’s overwhelmed.”

Uranus rolled her eyes. “Oh great. Now we’ll have to put up with this every time she attacks now.”

Serenity crawled over to Venus, and took her hand. She winced as the electric energy shot through her, but then she, too, felt better than she had for a while. “Mamo-chan, you too,” she said, and he obeyed.

Venus sat up once Endymion had taken his share of her extra energy. “Whoa. That was intense. Sorry about that. But man, what a kick!”

Serenity sighed with relief. She looked back at Uranus, smiling slightly. “Well, that might be the case, but it could come in handy later.”

The tall blonde smiled in a resigned way. “That’s what I was afraid of, dumpling.” Neptune patted her shoulder sympathetically.

*~*

Everyone watched Mercury; Mercury watched her computer screen, chin resting on one hand. Jupiter gently rubbed Mercury’s creased brow; the water warrior looked up in surprise.  “You’ll get wrinkles.”

Neptune chittered. Mercury blushed. The computer beeped, and she snatched it up in relief. “Ah, finally.”

Venom from the snake monster’s attack had remained on site even after the creature’s defeat, and Mercury was happy to have some real data to play with now. “Now, Serenity, I can monitor the reactions of the cells. I need you to hold the computer,” she said, handing it to her.

Serenity took it, and Mercury’s eyes widened in delight. “Excellent! It’s just as I thought, look!”

The others looked at each other; Uranus and Venus shrugged. They watched the screen. “I don’t understand…” Jupiter said.

Endymion gave an ‘ah’ of realization. “The cells are multiplying at an insanely accelerated pace. Watch just one, and it becomes sixteen in almost a second.”

Mercury nodded. “Exactly! Now, Serenity let me have the computer back… Here, see the pace of it now. When it’s just me, or no one at all, it’s a normal cell division rate.”

“So the monsters react to Serenity alone?” Mars asked.

“Or do they react to the Silver Crystal?” Saturn asked.

“As Serenity has now become one with the Crystal’s power and can use it at will with ease, I suspect it’s one and the same. The energy emitted from her causes a reaction in whoever has become infected with whatever it is we’re facing,” Mercury explained. “We discussed this before, in private.” At some indignant looks, she shook her head. “Don’t look at me like that. We didn’t want to set off too many alarms.”

Venus scratched at her arm. “It did seem weird that there weren’t random monster attacks…”

Serenity stared at the ground, pensive. “How do we fix this? Leave it alone? Do I sequester myself away and hope that’s it?”

“Not everyone has been infected, we’ve seen that. It’s a matter of finding those who are and eradicating it,” Neptune said. “And maybe finding out why they’re here,” she added after a moment’s thought.

Endymion held his wife around her shoulders comfortingly. “It’s a worldwide epidemic, I would think. How do we accomplish that?”

To no one’s surprise, Mercury smiled. “I thought about that—in fact, Serenity, I mentioned it before. You said it was strange that no monsters were reacting to just me when I had been blessed by the Silver Crystal. That gave me an idea. It’s possible that we may be able to take pieces of the Silver Crystal and travel to other countries to make sure their infected aren’t breaking out without the trigger. And when they do react to the Crystal, we can take care of it.”

“Taking pieces of the Crystal, though?” Saturn asked. “Is that even possible?”

Serenity shrugged. “If I control how much is given, I don’t think it would be a problem.”

“If there is a problem, I can see about devising a method of imbuing the power of the Crystal into an object we can carry,” Mercury said.

“I’m sensing a ‘but’,” Uranus said.

Mercury nodded. “It means splitting up.”

There were no verbal responses to that; some uncomfortable looks were traded, arms were crossed. Pluto cleared her throat. “If I may… splitting up may not be entirely wise. If it’s possible, we should at least go in groups of two. Our new powers seem to be split evenly on offensive and defensive abilities, and some of us may be at a disadvantage.”

“You didn’t even fight earlier,” Mars snapped.

Pluto held the priest’s gaze steadily; Mars looked away first, red-faced. “While I was not needed in the battle, I can sense what my new powers are capable of. They are more suited to defensive tactics. Personally, I do not wish to be sent on what appears to me as a suicide mission.”

Mercury opened her mouth to protest the term, but Endymion spoke first. “Please, everyone, this is not the time for internal arguments. If Serenity decides that this is the best course of action, then it is. If she does not, we’ll think of something else.”

Nine pairs of eyes stared at her. Serenity clasped her hands in front of her, and bowed her head. “It’s very risky… and I don’t want anyone to get hurt… but… but I’m worried that there’s more out there that we can’t see if we’re stuck here. And the need of the people is more important than me wanting to keep everyone safe. If I separate everyone into pairs, it will make me feel better.”

Though no one looked thrilled at this prospect, they nodded. “What must be done, will be done,” Pluto said.

*~*

Mercury and Pluto worked for several days to come up with a device that would hold the Crystal’s energy, but remain portable and inconspicuous. Venus eventually asked how they would move around the globe—“I mean, we can start off with the Sailor Teleport, but after leaving others behind it’s going to drain a lot more energy than we can afford to lose. And we’ve really never tried it without Sailor Moon. That could be a huge difference in how far we can go.”

With that in mind, the pair worked to create something that would also serve as a localized teleportation device. Meanwhile, Serenity was under fire again from the government for her involvement in providing food for the Earth’s population. After sitting in many meetings with his wife and the increasingly unhappy Dietman Hino and his entourage, Endymion surrendered to her superior knowledge in these affairs and went to work with Mercury and Pluto instead. After a week, they decided that, as the power was already contained in a crystal, four crystal pieces would be the best bet; the energy shift would be less likely to break out from a form it was already comfortably residing in. Endymion used the Golden Crystal to grow four pieces of amethyst quartz, with stibnite bases for added protection.

Each Senshi blessed the crystals with their power; Mercury tested the first crystal herself, and found that as long as she focused her will on her destination, the crystal would teleport her there. Best of all, her readings indicated that the power had not diminished within and could be reused for teleportation with no trouble. “Well of course,” Luna said when Mercury reported these findings. She sounded almost indignant, but amused. “How else do you think the Silver Crystal—or the Golden Crystal, for that matter—retains it’s power? It’s in the way crystals are formed. All of the facets inside, it reflects and bounces off of each other constantly. It grows to enormous power levels. It refreshes itself constantly.”

With that in mind, Mercury approached Serenity cautiously. She advised her of what Luna had said: “We don’t need five Silver Crystals. I fear that’s what it could become if you don’t place some kind of limit on your power when you bless these.”

Serenity added just a touch of power to each of the four crystals, with whispered words of instruction to contain itself to just that. “I just hope that’s going to be enough… I don’t know if I can limit the control of anything more than that.”

Mercury smiled. “I don’t think it’s going to be a problem, Your Majesty. It’s not the amount of power that triggers them, I believe. It’s just that it does. I can run some tests if you’d like, to be sure.”

Serenity waved her off. “No, I trust you. We’ve delayed long enough. I’m worried. If nothing else, you guys can check to be sure Endymion and I were able to feed everyone. And don’t think you’re going to get away with that ‘Your Majesty’ing, either.”

Later that day, they all gathered in the courtyard. Serenity had divided them into pairs: Venus and Saturn would take Europe and western Asia, Jupiter and Uranus would head to the Americas, Mars and Pluto would take Africa and Australia, and Mercury and Neptune would remain close by in eastern Asia and the Pacific Ring islands. Serenity hugged each of them individually. “Everyone… please keep each other safe. And come home quickly,” she said, stepping back.

“We’ll check in often,” Jupiter assured her.

Serenity nodded. Her eyes shone with unshed tears. “Try not to enrage any more politicians, odango atama,” Mars said.

“I’ll do my best,” she assured her; no one had mentioned that the politician she was most angering was Mars’ own father.

“Ja ne,” Uranus saluted. She and Jupiter touched their crystal, and vanished in a swirl of color. The others followed suit. Serenity stared up at the sky, Endymion’s arm around her. “Be safe…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> According to metaphysical beliefs, amethyst and stibnite are the two most powerful types of quartz when one wants protection from negative energy, and provide a powerful combination when used in conjunction to each other. Amethyst also scores high on the Moh’s hardness scale, so it would be suitable to hold the powerful energy of the Silver Crystal—which at my best guess, from extensive crystal study, looks to be based on a variant of quartz.


	11. Chapter 11

Not an hour after her guardians left, Serenity was faced with a difficult decision. While it was no longer necessary for their families to be under NSC protection—and therefor under her protection as well—she was concerned that letting everyone return home would lead to unaccountability. The government might use the families of her friends against her. Artemis had to talk her out of that. “It’s just as likely that they might use them against us if they’re all here. If they plan on it, at least make them work for it. I doubt the census records have survived this long, it could take days before they found them.”

With that in mind, Serenity asked everyone to return to their homes. She promised to keep them informed as she could. She also asked her parents to take Chibiusa to their home. “I’m not sure Mamo-chan and I will have time to care for her. Even Luna and Artemis are going to be busy, between helping us with Dietman Hino and taking reports from the others as they come in.”

“Of course, dear. We love having Chibiusa, you know that,” Ikuko said.

Of course, when the time came for her parents to leave, Serenity insisted on walking them there. Endymion joined them. They initially protested, but Serenity would have none of that. Still, it didn’t keep them from continuously bringing it up on the walk home.

“Usagi-chan, there’s no need to walk us home, really. It’s perfectly safe,” Ikuko said.

Serenity shook her head. “I can’t help it. She’s my baby, Mama, you understand.”

Kenji chuckled, and shifted Chibiusa over to his other shoulder. She grumbled a bit, but didn’t wake up from her nap. “And you thought she’d be airheaded about Chibiusa-chan, Ikuko.”

Serenity gasped. “Mother!”

“Usagi! Your father is teasing you—he was the one who was concerned.”

“DADDY!”

Endymion took his wife’s hand to calm her. “Usako, you’re a wonderful mother.”

“Thank you, Mamo-chan,” Serenity stuck her tongue out at her parents.

“Very ladylike, Usagi-chan.”

They rounded the corner to the Tsukino’s gate. Serenity took Chibiusa from Kenji as he opened it. “Try to be sensible, sweetheart, and be flexible when it comes to dealing with Dietman Hino. The last thing you want is for this to somehow get back to Rei-chan,” he said.

“I’ll try, Papa, but he has to learn to be flexible too,” Serenity replied. “And I doubt it will. No one but us knows he’s our connection, and we aren’t letting it slip to her.”

“Even so. He could use some kind of family pressure on her to get you to bend. Just be cautious. From what the papers say, he’s been very aggressive since the last elections. He was almost Prime Minister, you know,” Kenji said.

“Yes, Papa.”

Kenji kissed her forehead and went inside. Ikuko hugged Serenity. “Just use your head. You’ve got a good one on your shoulders. It took you a while to get there, but we knew you had one.”

“Yes, Mama.” Serenity kissed the top of Chibiusa’s head. Endymion held them both for a moment, and then Ikuko took Chibiusa. “Thank you again, Mama.”

They turned to go. A child’s voice called out. “Sailor Moon!”

Serenity turned. The little girl was running towards her. “No! Sweetie, stop, don’t—”

She was hardly ten feet away when it happened. The monster this time was a giant lizard. Serenity backed away, red-faced with anger. “Just a little girl! What are you monsters, to destroy lives so easily?!”

“Usako—” Endymion backed away.

The lizard whipped it’s tail—and collided with the Tsukino’s home. The house crumpled under the abuse. Serenity screamed. “PAPA!”

*~*

Uranus and Jupiter landed less than gracefully in the middle of the jungle. Even at this early hour, the humidity was stifling. Jupiter sat up with a groan. She rubbed her head, hoping her hair wasn’t frizzing out too badly. “Well, that wasn’t fun…”

Uranus sat up on her knees, looking around. “Where the hell are we?”

Jupiter looked up at the pink sky. “Sun’s coming up, wherever it is… Where were you thinking?”

“Rio.”

Jupiter winced. “I was thinking Buenos Aires… We’re probably somewhere in the middle.”

Uranus hefted the amethyst. “How often can we use this thing without it running out?”

“Mercury said it was unlimited.”

Somewhere above them, a bird cawed. The jungle was waking up around them; neither woman was willing to stick around and find out which wild creatures enjoyed lanky Amazons for breakfast. “Let’s _both_ focus on the _same place_ this time, eh?” Uranus held out the crystal.

“Why not start south and work our way up?”

“I know Rio better than I know Buenos Aires.”

“If we’re going to start north, then we should go up to Canada,” Jupiter protested. “We should work in order, we can keep organized that way.”

Uranus ran her fingers through her hair. “What were the damage reports on them? We should go to the worse areas first.”

Jupiter sighed. “I don’t remember… Let’s just start at one end or the other and go. I’d rather be warm, if it’s all the same to you.”

“Fine.”

*~*

Mars and Pluto appeared suddenly under the hot, sub-Saharan sun. Mars shielded her eyes. “Oh Kami-sama… We should have waited until it was evening…”

Pluto smiled. “We should have given you some sunblock. Your skin’s going to be ruined after this trip.”

Mars covered her face, groaning. “Please tell me we’re near a city with shade…”

“We’ve landed just outside of Khartoum. It’s about a mile’s walk from here. I thought it best we not scare anyone who is already unnerved. This was an unstable enough region before the freeze, any sudden movements might tear this up,” Pluto started walking, driving the bottom of her staff into the dirt with an air of purpose.

Mars was fanning her hair out to cover as much of her bare skin as possible. She glanced up at the sky again, and sighed in defeat. “Goodbye, perfect skin…”

“For a priest versed in letting go of earthly concerns and promoting spiritual well-being, you’re very concerned with your physical appearance,” Pluto called back.

“Some of us are human enough to be vain,” Mars snapped. Their boots were not well-suited to the rocky dirt of the savannah, and she stumbled a few times as she hurried to catch up. “I can forget any men looking at me now.”

Pluto was careful to keep looking ahead. “I have not noticed much difference. Some men find dark skin exotic. The worthwhile ones, anyway.”

If her face wasn’t already red from the heat, Mars would have blushed. “Sorry…”

“It does not matter. We have a higher duty than carnal pleasures.”

*~*

Neptune covered her noses as they picked their way through New Delhi. “Time has done little to erase the stench of centuries in the slums…”

Mercury walked on confidently, typing in her computer as she went; her eyes were jumpy from the readings flashing across her visor, but she dared not miss anything while trying to work and walk at the same time. “Now where’s ground zero… You’d think the poorer districts would be an easier target to hide a bomb…”

“You start thinking like a terrorist, and then they change the rules on you.”

“Here I was hoping this would be easier on a large scale, with more information… faster… I don’t like leaving her alone like this.”

“None of us do, but the bigger picture needs looked at.”

They rounded a corner, and stopped dead. A group of street children sat between two cobbled-together shacks. One of them spoke in Hindi, but Mercury shook her head. Another child asked, in English, “Pretty lady, helping us?”

Neptune and Mercury looked at one another. Neptune shrugged. Mercury crouched down. “We’re going to try to. But we need some help from you. You can help?”

The children surged forward, all speaking at once in a mixture of Hindi and English, forming an incoherent babble. Mercury tried to calm them down. Neptune gasped. “Mercury!”

She grabbed Mercury’s arm, pulling her back as one of the children touched the amethyst crystal. The child almost immediately was ripped in pieces, and turned into a monster; the other children screamed and ran.

*~*

“Ugh, I forgot how freaking cold it is in England in the winter…” Venus rubbed her arms viciously.

“At least the sun’s out. That’s something, right?” Saturn was glad that Serenity’s power had cleared the streets and repaired buildings. She didn’t want to think how horrible it would have been to try and move around London—the many of the buildings were already centuries old, add a lack of regular maintenance and nuclear holocaust, and the entire city had probably been in ruins.

As it was, they had already found ground zero and made notes of the blast-zone’s radius. Venus, as she had lived here for some time, figured the area to be Kensington—probably as close as they could have gotten to the palace, if that was among their target areas. Venus was looking around with trepidation. “It’s been so long since I’ve been here, I can’t really say. We could be in Hammersmith for all I know… Stupid terrorists... It was so easy to get around this city, there were maps everywhere!” Venus shouted the last bit. “You had to go and ruin everything!”

“Venus!” Saturn shushed her.

Venus kicked a rock, sending it spinning across the frozen grass. “Sorry… Sorry, let’s get back to it,” she flashed Saturn her winning smile, and started heading east, towards the city proper.

Saturn hurried to catch up. “This really bothers you. You put on your usual silly act, but this really is bothering you.”

Venus slung an arm around the smaller woman. “Someone has to keep team morale up.”

“Tears of a clown?”

“Something like that.”

They walked on for a bit. It was eerie how there were no people milling about, but it was almost expected. Even the British were allowed to have a few days of shell-shocked panic in the quiet of their own homes. Saturn spoke again, “You’re allowed to be upset, you know. I think you’re really the only one who hasn’t lost it, at least a little.”

Venus smiled slightly. “I feel like I can’t, you know? Serenity needs me—needs us—to keep my head. I’m the leader of her personal guard. It’s practically killing me to leave her unattended like this, especially when I’m her body-double… what if she needs that? She could be in so much trouble right now, and we’d never know…”

*~*

Serenity shook with rage, glowing with the power of the Silver Crystal. She didn’t dare look at the house, or let her fears for her father’s safety take over. She needed complete control. The monster lashed out at her. She threw her hand up, and the monster froze. “Endymion, get my mother and Chibiusa out of here,” she said.

“Usako—”

“NOW.” Serenity rose into the air, and the monster rose with her. Tears fell freely down her face. The monster struggled against her; she clenched her hands, tightening her telekinetic hold on it. “Not today. Not after everything I’ve been through. I will search your heart. You will do no more evil today.”

She wasn’t sure where the creature’s eyes were; it seemed to be a spiked, writhing mass of ink. This would make it more difficult, as eye contact helped to cement the bond she needed to look into the creature’s mind and soul. She let her eyes unfocus, tapping into the deeper power of the Crystal. Serenity reached out with her power, and searched for the monster’s innermost being.

A tiny speck. That was all, just a tiny speck that was needed to make the creature alive. She prodded it with her power, and gasped as a flood of images raced through her mind.

_An asteroid. Seemingly lifeless, but teeming with millions of tiny specks of life._

_Screams as it broke up through the Earth’s atmosphere._

“You come from another world?” She asked. “Were you traveling here, or did you get caught in our gravity? Were you one of the originals who came here, or do you share a collective memory with your friends?”

_Bits of rock, no bigger than a pebble, embedding themselves deep in the Earth’s crust._

_Humans uncovering these rocks, taking them home, playing with them. Studying them._

_Miniscule creatures emerging from the rocks. Creatures entering human bodies, infecting their minds._

“No… no they didn’t know any better… You didn’t need human hosts! We could have lived peacefully, side by side with no problem!”

_Humans orchestrating the destruction of civilization. Destruction by nuclear power, the power that could rebuild the miniscule creatures’ strength._

_The freeze._

“But it was enough…” Serenity whispered, her eyes still closed. “The radiation. It was enough to give you the strength to multiply…” She opened her eyes, horrified. “It’s an epidemic.”

The creature writhed as her power slipped. She struggled. “You grew while we slept! You took over our planet, our peaceful planet! Where did you come from?! We can send you home, you can leave us be!”

She reached out again, searching through the creature’s memories, hoping to find the answers. “When did you get here? How long ago? What are you planning to do now?”

The lizard-monster screeched, flailing violently. The house across the street was destroyed as the monster’s tail slammed into the roof. Serenity cried out, focusing her power and encasing the creature again. “Do you need us? Do you need human hosts, is that why you did nothing to take over the world while we slept under my power?! Or did you take over anyway! How many have you infected?! How many?!”

The creature’s mind could offer her no more answers. Perhaps the minds of these aliens were not connected as she had thought; surely the leaders, the ones who had made the terrorist-humans into their hosts, would have these answers. “And now we need to find them…”

She wondered what to do with the monster. Was she able, with the raw power of the Crystal, to destroy it as her guardians had? Raw energy would drain her faster than a focused attack, but if she confined herself to the NSC compound she would be able to recover in peace. “I’m sorry…” She whispered, raising a hand.

“MOON TWILIGHT FLASH!”

The creature disintegrated as a crystalized moonbeam struck it. Serenity gaped, her hand still frozen in midair. “What--?”

A tall, young woman strode forward confidently. She wore a pure-white sailor suit and skirt, with transparent pink ruffles under it and a transparent pink bow with long, thin tails at the back. Her boots were white as well, and lined with pink at the top. The woman’s white gloves reached above her elbows. Her broach was a six-pointed star, flanked by outstretched wings. A rainbow-colored belt wrapped around her waist, and wings seemed to erupt from her shoulders. Her hair, as pink as her uniform’s accessories, was done up in twin rabbit-ear odango and twin streamers flowing underneath. She smiled, her red eyes shimmering with relief under the crescent moon on her forehead. “Hello, Mama.”

Serenity lost control of her levitation, and crashed to the ground. “Chi-Chibiusa?!”

The woman twirled her long, white staff, topped with a crystal crescent moon in a golden base. “Actually, I just go by Usagi now. But you can call me Sailor Moon. Cardinal Sailor Moon.”


	12. Chapter 12

“But you can call me Sailor Moon. Cardinal Sailor Moon.”

Serenity gaped. Sailor Moon held out her hand, and helped her up. “Surprised to see me?”

Standing next to her now, her future daughter towered over her by at least six inches. Serenity hardly believed it, but before she could say anything she remembered her parents’ house. “Papa?!” She called, picking up her skirts and rushing towards the rubble.

“Usako, stay back!” Endymion called.

He had ducked behind the garden wall with Ikuko and Chibiusa. As soon as the monster was contained, he started searching for signs of life with the Golden Crystal. Serenity ignored his order and went to stand next to him. “Anything?”

Sailor Moon followed. “Kenji-ojiisan was in the house? Oh, Kami-sama…”

Ikuko stood up, shocked. “Who is this?! Usagi-chan, I thought you were the only soldiers here? And why did she call him Kenji-ojiisan?!”

Serenity winced. Sailor Moon looked panicked. “Mama, just calm down. Stay over there, with Chibiusa, or we’ll cause a paradox.”

“Paradox?!”

Serenity rounded on Sailor Moon. “You know better! Remember, I started to disappear the last time I was near your mother? This was dangerous and reckless, Chibiusa!”

Sailor Moon rolled her eyes. “It’s _Usagi_. Kami-sama, you sound just like Mother.”

“I _am_ your mother, _Chi-bi-usa_!”

“Odango atama!”

Serenity stuck out her tongue. Sailor Moon returned the favor. “GIRLS!” Endymion roared. They jumped. “Please! Your father might be dead, Serenity. Some respect and maturity would be appreciated! Chibiusa, you shouldn’t be here. Such proximity to our Chibiusa is dangerous. I’m surprised Sailor Pluto hasn’t come back at once to lecture you.”

Serenity recoiled slightly at the reprimand. Sailor Moon crossed her arms over her chest. “I didn’t know, all right? I just knew there was something wrong. Weird monsters appeared in Crystal Tokyo, very suddenly. We had no reports about alien activity entering the Sol system from the outer planets, so Luna and Artemis thought it could be an issue going on here in the past. They don’t even know I left; everyone was caught up in the politics of deciding whether or not to interfere. So, I just locked on to the monster’s energy, and you guys. I wound up here.”

“You didn’t even sense what year it was?” Serenity asked.

“Nope. Last time I went in blind, I had your timeline to go on to get to you; you had defeated Queen Beryl and were supposed to be in everlasting peace afterwards,” Sailor Moon explained. “When are we?”

Serenity rubbed her forehead. “Mamo-chan, please continue looking for my father. It’s a long story, Chi… Usagi.”

Ikuko interjected, “Excuse me, but I still don’t know what’s going on.”

Serenity held her hands up. “Mama, if you will sit there, and Usagi, if you will sit over there, I will explain to both of you what is going on. Mama, please keep Chibiusa with you, do not let her run off if she wakes up. I don’t know how long they’ll be able to remain in such close proximity before something happens.”

It took some time to jog Ikuko’s memory of the pink-haired girl they had cared for so many years ago. Luna-P’s memory enchantments were impressive, but with a few key words and a touch of the Silver Crystal’s power, Ikuko’s eyes eventually widened in realization. “That was you? But… who are you, really?”

Sailor Moon looked down, suddenly shy. “I’m… I’m your granddaughter, Ikuko-obaasan. I’m Princess Lady Serenity Usagi Tsukino. I used to be called Small Lady, or Chibiusa.”

Ikuko looked down at the toddler she held, and then at the young woman in front of her, then to her daughter. “She… She grows up to be her?! And I knew her, before you and Mamoru even…”

Serenity nodded. “That’s why we need to keep the two apart. It could cause a paradox if they’re too near each other, and one could be wiped from history. It almost happened to me, with my future self.”

Ikuko shook her head, amazed at all of this. She looked back to Sailor Moon. “But, your last name, it’s not Chiba?”

Sailor Moon shrugged. “I’ve never thought about it. My Mama and Papa stopped using their last names after they became Queen and King. The Royal line is just known as the Serenity line.”

Serenity wished desperately that Sailor Pluto was with them. Surely they were revealing too much to her mother. She wasn’t even sure if Ikuko would live long enough to see the 30th century, let alone if she and Endymion were going to build Crystal Tokyo, but this had to be a serious breach of time traveler knowledge. “Anyway… Ch… Usagi, you said your time is having these monsters as well?”

She nodded. “It took a while to figure out how to deal with them. We’re lucky they just respond to Crystal energy waves, so until I figured out a new attack they kept me squirreled away in the palace. Honestly, my team is probably happy I’m gone, they don’t have to listen to me anymore.”

Serenity refrained from commenting on that. Instead, she launched into an explanation of what had happened, from the first bomb in Ho Chi Minh City and leading up to her guardians’ departure just a few hours before. “And now we’re just bickering with the government. For now, we have the upper hand. I have people out getting information, and public support. I can use that to keep them from abusing my power further, but if Rei-chan’s father has anything to say about it…”

“So let me get this right. You froze everyone on the planet for five hundred years?!” Sailor Moon exclaimed.

“Well, yes. Accidentally. But it saved people.”

Sailor Moon stood up and began pacing rapidly. She said something in another language, but judging from the tone Serenity guessed it wasn’t anything pleasant. “So this is, like, completely messed up from my Earth’s timeline. Because none of this happened to my Mama! How? How did this happen? And why, if there’s nothing but you guys in common from my timeline, did we get stuck with these monsters too!?”

Serenity rubbed her forehead. “It’s all so complicated, Chibiusa, I hardly understand it myself…”

“ _Usagi!_ ”

“If Sailor Pluto were here, she could explain it better. Something about time not being in a straight line, and split timelines, and you’re an anchor!”

“Mother!”

“Not an _actual_ anchor, a… a time anchor. Or something. You were in this timeline and in your own, so you could go back and forth. Your mother didn’t fight the same Chaos aspects that I did. So it’s all different now,” Serenity explained.

Sailor Moon rubbed her forehead. “Oh Kami-sama, I’m going to Africa right now and finding Pluto because I seriously have no freaking clue what you’re talking about.”

“Chibiusa! Language!”

“Odango atama! Learn my name!”

“You’re still a little girl in my eyes, Your Highness!”

“I’m bigger than you now!”

“SERENITY!” Endymion shouted, his voice cracking. Both women jumped. “Please, stop this. Usako, I… I think I found him.”

*~*

In the days that followed, Serenity took up a mantle of defiance and cool calculation. Endymion hardly recognized her, but Usagi, who split her time between the space-time continuum and living with them in the NSC compound, said she resembled the Queen more and more. She did not permit herself to become emotional if Dietman Hino made an off-handed comment about letting him handle more responsibilities while she dealt with the passing of her father.

The loss of Kenji was devastating to everyone. Serenity, unwilling to let her mother stay in the house until she had the emotional stability to rebuild it, sent her mother and Chibiusa to Minako’s parents—Minako’s mother needed someone to fuss over, and Ikuko was more than willing to let her care for Chibiusa while she recovered from the shock of suddenly losing her husband of 25 years. Rei’s grandfather offered to perform a rudimentary memorial service—most of the temple’s traditional funerary rites would be hard to perform with spoiled herbs and incense fuel, and some of the mourning observations were waived because of Serenity’s pressing talks with the Diet.

They had transmitted the news to the others as soon as they had been able to. Venus and Mars offered to come home for her, but Serenity needed them elsewhere. She would mourn privately with her family and friends later.

Mercury and Neptune encountered more of the alien viruses than the others. After Serenity relayed the memories she received from the one that killed her father, Mercury began compiling as much data as she could to pinpoint how the epidemic began, and how they could ‘cure’ the infected humans.

“I just don’t understand it…” Mercury mumbled.

“You do, you just can’t grasp the finer details all at once,” Neptune replied.

They were taking a break for the first time in a week, relaxing under some palm trees on one of the new Hawaiian Islands that had grown. They were told that tsunami had done the most damage on the island chain, and so far none of their recon had brought new monsters to light. It was almost refreshing to have so little to do; but Mercury insisted on working through this ‘vacation’ anyway. She glanced away from her computer for a moment towards her comrade. Neptune had removed her boots and gloves, and looked sinfully relaxed in the warm sun—to the untrained eye, anyway. Mercury had spent enough time in her company the past week to pick up on the subtle way Neptune kept her eyes barely-open to watch for danger, and how tense her muscles were in preparation of movement. “I suppose the sea told you that?” She asked dryly.

Neptune chuckled. “No, but it’s told me plenty of other things. You should upgrade your visor’s prescription if you’re going to keep staring at that computer.”

Mercury spluttered. “H-how did you know about that?!”

“You wear your glasses to read and work normally; it would be odd if you tried to work without any kind of corrective lenses while transformed.”

Mercury mumbled something incoherent, pressing a few keys on her keyboard. She closed her eyes as the visor flashed momentarily. The screen _did_ seem a little sharper when she opened them again. Neptune dug her toes into the sand. “So… a virus.”

“Yes.”

“We aren’t equipped to fight biological warfare.”

“It’s intelligent, too.”

“And Chibiusa-chan says she’s fighting it in her future as well? I wonder what Pluto has to say about that…”

“I’m sure she has plenty to say about it.”

They’d had this conversation many times over the past few days. It hadn’t varied much, and Mercury wasn’t sure why Neptune kept bringing it up. They didn’t learn anything new from discussing the same points over and over. She quietly watched the computer run figures for a few more moments, until an awful thought hit her. “Neptune… The virus reacts to the Silver Crystal.”

“Right.”

“Theoretically, we could have monsters running undetected because of how much power Serenity has used to fix everything.”

“We haven’t seen that, though. I thought you believed they required close contact to the Crystal’s energy to trigger their attacks.”

“Right… but what if… What if they’ve incorporated the Crystal’s power into themselves? What if they’ve become immune? What if… What if we’re killing the weaker viruses, and the stronger strains survive on to become what Chibiusa’s future is fighting?”

Neptune opened her eyes fully. “Like with normal vaccines. Some mutations of the virus survive them and continue infecting.”

“Yes, exactly. And our powers were boosted by the Silver Crystal. We’re going to be in trouble soon.”

Neptune propped herself up on her elbows. “I don’t understand the science of viruses that well. But can these viruses be spread like normal? Serenity didn’t make it sound like catching a cold.”

Mercury rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “That’s something we’ll need to look into… and I don’t think it’s going to be easy…”

*~*

The next few days saw Mercury making short rendezvous trips to meet with the others. She explained the theory she and Neptune came up with and directed her comrades accordingly. They were all to try and bring home as many sample specimen as they could; while she wished they would be able to bring the virus in its un-triggered form, she told herself to be grateful that they could even gather this much.

Uranus bit back the urge to lash out when Mercury came to tell them this new development; she and Jupiter had managed to cover all of South America and much of North America in the time they had been away, and this meant doubling back and starting over. “Well, look at it this way,” Jupiter said as they took shelter for the night. “We won’t have to worry about a lot of places because there aren’t any people. We haven’t seen animals infected, and there are huge chunks of the Americas that aren’t populated. And we can finish up here and work our way back down south.”

“I just have a bad feeling about staying away longer…” Uranus said, almost under her breath. Jupiter only nodded.

Venus and Saturn backtracked to Italy, winding their way back along the Mediterranean coast. While the work was tedious, it was amazing to see how, even after a few days away, people were putting their lives back in order. They nodded and waved at a few people they had spoken to before. A restaurant had a radio set up on a newly-made table, piping in brief news clips from around the world. “It’s almost like being in the turn of the century…” Venus said wistfully, her arms behind her head.

“The turn of several centuries ago,” Saturn corrected.

“Whatever. And we don’t have to worry about waiting for someone to invent television. Just as soon as they get everything fixed up.”

Someone shouted. They turned. People were gathering around the radio. Venus and Saturn glanced at each other, and rushed over. The announcer sounded panicked. “I can’t understand him! Is he upset, or is he just Italian?!” Venus wailed.

“Excuse me! Translate?!” Saturn shouted in English. “Please, someone!”

“The power lady, she is being hurt!” Someone responded in the same language. “Your lady, your power lady!”

“What? What does that mean?!” Venus asked in Japanese.

Their communicators chirped cheerfully. Saturn’s heart sank. Venus answered. Pluto’s face appeared—her usual calm demeanor was shattered. No one had to say anything. Venus snapped the communicator shut; she held the crystal out, and they teleported home.


	13. Chapter 13

Civil war.

Word of the assassination attempt spread like wildfire. Civilians took to the streets armed with kitchen knives and ancient family heirlooms. Soldiers and police officers fought back with little mercy, but they, too, questioned which side to fight on.

The assassin was caught in his escape. He was held prisoner—though his time spent in captivity broke several Geneva laws—until the Sailor Senshi could properly deal with him. Serenity was unable to intervene when Sailor Mars and Sailor Uranus interrogated him; no one confessed to the assassin’s true fate, but all who had been present swore that he had been alive when they left.

Several government buildings, including the National Diet Building, were burned to the ground by rioters. By this point, Serenity had been moved to safety at the Hikawa Shrine; Sailor Mars put up a spiritual barrier to keep out those with bad intentions in their hearts, and Sailor Saturn erected a physical barrier at night, or when there were less than five Sailor Senshi present to guard Serenity and Endymion. Serenity protested at this as well, but until her wounds healed, she was hardly fit to put up a fight.

Most of the infections the gunshot wounds would have caused were burned out and healed by Serenity's own Silver Crystal, and enhanced by Endymion's Golden Crystal and Usagi's Pink Moon Crystal. Mercury and Endymion stitched them up as best they could, and hoped the Silver Crystal would tend to any new infections the barely-sterilized needles and thread would cause.

Those who were not involved in the fighting stood vigil at the perimeter of the Hikawa Shrine. The Senshi who left to try and contain the fighting were always asked about the health of Serenity, if she needed anything.

If she would live.

After a week of being confined to the shrine, Serenity was able to appear before the vigilant at the top of the shrine stairs. A roar of happy approval went through the crowd before she was whisked back to bed rest.

The Senshi reported that the civilians fighting in the war seemed to fight with a new strength at the news that their savior was alive and doing well. Serenity took this news badly; she had hoped that her recovery would lead to the fighting easing up, not getting worse. “They can’t give up now,” Luna told her, patting her hand. “It would be worse for them, in the end, if they did. The Diet would order the arrests of everyone involved.”

“It’s senseless fighting, Luna. And I can’t do anything to stop them,” Serenity said, scrunching the covers in frustration.

“It’s not senseless to them, Usagi-chan.” Serenity met Luna’s eyes. It was the first time anyone in their circle had called her Usagi in weeks. “They believe the government was behind the attack. They want to make sure it won’t happen again.”

“There just… there _has_ to be a better way.”

Meanwhile, Ami had transformed the control center into a pseudo-virology lab. She was running extensive research on the specimens she had gotten; when it became clear that Serenity would be fine without the nine of them hovering over her, she had requested that at least two of the others head back into the field to collect more. They needed all the information they could get to curb and eventually stamp out this problem.

Usagi spent the most time with Ami; she and her own warriors had spent several weeks fighting the stronger monsters, and Ami grilled her about what they had discovered. She was dismayed that Usagi’s information was hardly better than theirs. She had a particularly mixed reaction about the people who had been infected in her time: none of them had been old. This meant two things: the creatures did not need human hosts to survive in a limited capacity, and they did not increase the lifespans of those they did infect. “We could try to eradicate them, but we’d never know if we were successful…” she mused.

“Would… Serenity—gosh that’s weird to say—would she approve of that?” Usagi asked.

Ami glanced up at the young princess. “I can’t say. I don’t imagine she would, but if you’re still dealing with these monsters hundreds of years from now… I don’t see another option.”

*~*

A full two weeks after the attempt on Serenity’s life, Dietman Hino walked into the shrine.

Just like that.

“What are _you_ doing here?” Mars snapped. It was hard to tell what was making her angrier: the sight of her father, or the fact that he had passed through her wards like they were cobwebs.

The politician was mildly surprised at her vehemence. “I assure you, senshi-sama, I am here on official business only.”

Venus grasped Mars’ shoulder lightly, holding her back. “He doesn’t recognize you. Don’t challenge him, or it could make things worse,” She hissed in her ear.

“Official business or no, your presence is not welcome here, Dietman,” Mars said coldly.

Dietman Hino’s face clouded briefly at the lack of respect. “I am merely expressing the concern of myself and my colleagues in regards to the incident—”

“Your concern is appreciated, Hino-san,” Jupiter stepped forward. “But it would really be in the best interest of everyone if you left. We are not prepared to protect your life as well as Serenity’s, should your whereabouts become known.”

She offered to escort the politician off of the property in secret. “How did he get in here?” Venus wondered. “We were sure he was behind the attack…”

“What are you talking about?” Mars asked, her purple eyes flashing coldly at her partner.

Venus swallowed. She remembered why they hadn’t intended to ever, _ever_ tell Mars that her father was involved. The look she was giving her said that if she didn’t tell her the truth, _now_ , that Venus would be made to pay for it very dearly. “All of those meetings Serenity had with the Diet; your father was the head of the committee. She met with him almost daily. He’s the biggest reason we’ve been arguing about stupid things like reparations for time and man-power involved, instead of actually going out and fixing everything.”

“You… she was… and none of you thought it was a good idea to _tell_ me!?”

“Well, no! Look how you’re reacting!”

“Yes, because it was being kept a secret from me!”

“Rei, if you’d known your father was involved, things could have gotten way worse. You’d be there every day, because you don’t trust your father further than you can throw him. Serenity needed to make him happy, as well as try to get him to do things her way. She couldn’t have done that if you were there trying to burn him with your mind and not your powers. It was hard enough when Haruka volunteered to go with her as bodyguard,” Venus said. “He’s rude and manipulative, and Serenity cried more than once because of him. But we didn’t tell you because we knew how you’d react to that. As much as he’s a pain in the ass, we needed him.”

Mars fumed. “And now?”

“Now… now we’re waiting to see what she wants to do next.”

“ _She_ wants to stop the fighting,” Serenity’s voice called across the courtyard.

They turned. She walked with little difficulty on her own. “I’m tired of this senseless fighting, and I’m tired of being kept locked away like an artifact. It was good of you to send Dietman Hino away, I have no patience for him today,” she told them.

“How exactly do you propose to stop the fighting?” Mars demanded.

“By asking them to stop.”

“You know you can’t do that. It will be worse for everyone in the end.”

“If you can take me to the leaders, I will be able to figure out a way to end this peacefully, for everyone.”

“There is no way we will be able to—” Venus cut herself off abruptly. Her mouth pursed, and her jaw set itself firm. Serenity nodded. “Rei-chan, call in Saturn and Neptune. They can take your place and mine as guardians, while Minako-chan takes my place in the shrine. Mako-chan,” she called as the brunette came back. “We need your help in the shrine.”

It took more than an hour to swap out of Serenity’s gown and into Venus’ costume. They had never needed to manually remove their battle costumes before, and the “eternal” uniform was much more complicated than their original costumes. Putting it back together on Serenity’s body proved just as difficult. Venus complained about the weight of the dress, after so many days of wearing her lightweight battle costume. “Really now, the bust alone must weigh several kilos. How can you breath with this much gold and jewels around your chest?”

Serenity laughed. “You get used to it. I feel naked in these skirts, after the dress.”

Jupiter took another two hours just on their hair. Serenity’s had to be unpinned, the kinks and waves smoothed out, her bangs rearranged, and then her forelocks pulled back into Venus’ trademark bow. Venus needed static hair rollers just to mimic Serenity’s bangs and side-curls, while Jupiter painstakingly rearranged her hair into Serenity’s buns and tails. “Were I the two of you, I’d just chop all that hair off like Ami-chan’s. Much more manageable. Even mine just sits in a simple ponytail,” the brunette said wearily, removing the rollers from Venus/Serenity’s hair.

At the last minute they remembered to swap earrings. Serenity/Venus touched a finger to her double’s forehead, willing a crescent moon mark to appear. Her own crescent faded at another touch, and any remnants were hidden under the tiara.

They turned and looked in the mirror. Anyone unfamiliar with the pair wouldn’t notice any difference, and both women felt strange seeing the other’s reflection. Their friends would immediately spot the differences—Serenity had a world-weary drag to her shoulders these days, and her hair was a few shades lighter than Venus’. Venus’ bangs were quickly trying to revert to their non-fluffed state, and she would have to work very hard to remain as serious and contemplative as Serenity had been in the weeks since the world had woken up; but out of the two of them she had the easier job. She would remain secluded in the Hikawa Shrine, and no one but their circle was permitted on the grounds.

After a few long minutes, Serenity/Venus finally nodded. “All right. I’m taking Mars with me. I’ll try to be back before sundown.”

“Just Mars?” Venus/Serenity asked.

“I’m counting on not running into any of those monsters. And you two often patrol together, it would seem odd if there were three of us. I don’t want to make anything seem suspicious.”

Jupiter pursed her lips, but nodded, saying nothing. Venus/Serenity scoffed. “Fine. But call someone in if there’s a problem, all right? You can’t use any of my attacks, and that would definitely blow your cover.”

Serenity/Venus paused. That had never occurred to her. “I’ll see what I can do. Maybe I can force the Silver Crystal to channel your new attack, since I gave it to you.”

“Be careful.”

Jupiter walked her out, and watched her leave with Mars. She hoped this wasn’t going to be as disastrous as she feared.

*~*

Serenity was surprised when Mars didn’t berate her for most of the trip. They were halfway to the last-known unofficial headquarters of the rebel forces when she finally said, “I was expecting a lecture. I’m a little disappointed.”

Mars gave her a look. “As much as I want to argue, your mind is made up.”

“Since when has that stopped you?”

“Since you’re my queen and I should at least pretend to respect your decisions. Even when they’re ridiculously stupid and reckless.”

Serenity made a face. “I’m not queen yet. I don’t want to force anything that no one wants.”

“No one wants?” Mars asked, her voice rising as her temper got the better of her. “I think it’s very clear what they want. They’re fighting for _you_! Because you were shot! Because you were helping when my father and the other idiots in the Diet were sitting around with their thumbs up their bums!”

“They were doing what they could, Mars,” Serenity began, but her friend cut her off. “No, they were being stubborn and sticking to procedure that has no use in this apocalyptic setting. They’ve been in power for so long, with so little challenge, that they’ve forgotten why a government is really needed: to protect their people and their interests. The people don’t want them anymore, that’s why they’re fighting. They want you.

“And if they want you, that makes you queen. Even as a symbol.”

Serenity thought about that for the rest of the trip.

*~*

They were hailed as they made their way into the camp. The Senshi were well-known around the camps, but not always as friends. Serenity knew that occasionally her guardians would send the rebels packing by fighting alongside the police, if only because they were dangerously outnumbered and Serenity wanted them to limit the number of casualties caused by the war. In her heart, she knew they fought on her behalf, but if they really wanted to fight in her name they had to fight by her rules.

The rebel guard who hailed them offered a mock salute. “Sailor Mars. Sailor Venus. I can’t tell you we’re entirely glad you’re here.”

“We need to speak to whoever is in charge,” Mars said, taking the lead. “We’re here in Sailor Moon’s name, and it’s important.”

The guard’s face showed his mixed loyalties, but in the end he led them to a larger tent. Serenity noticed the number of wounded as they picked their way through the haphazardly thrown-together camp, and her heart ached. If only she could help them more! The guard announced their presence, and held back the tent-flap to allow them entry. There were three men and two women gathered together around a battered map of Tokyo, which lay on a table and was covered in marks. Their faces showed the same confusion of mixed loyalties as the guard’s had. “Sailors. What brings you here?” One of the women asked.

“We’re here on behalf of—” Mars began, but Serenity cut her off. “It’s my fault. I needed to talk to you. I’m Sailor Moon… Well, I’m Serenity now. I put on the guise of my body-double to reach you safely, and I’m sorry about any confusion. One attempt on my life is enough, I think. Oh, please, stop that!”

As soon as she’d announced who she really was, the rebel leaders stood at attention and bowed—the sort of bow everyone was taught as a child but never expected to actually ever use, a bow only reserved for the Emperor himself. They looked confused when she told them to stop. Behind her, Mars was muttering curses—both linguistically foul and spiritual—at her carelessness about her identity. “Serenity-sama, we are honored at your visit,” one of the men said. “We must express our confusion. You do not wish us to show you the respect you deserve?”

“I hardly deserve anything,” she protested. “I did what a decent person should do, and I’m repaid by people dying in cold blood? I should bow to you, for your dedication.” She hesitated. “But I won’t, because dying for such a cause is not something I honor.” Some of them looked indignant, others outright angry. She continued. “If you knew… If you knew how I normally fight, you’d know that I have respect for all life—good and bad. In the past, I’ve always tried to limit the amount of blood on my hands. I’m not perfect. I’ve killed before, and I’m afraid to say that I’ll likely kill again. I don’t like it, and I certainly don’t like people killing each other in my name. But it was necessary. This, however, is not. There are peaceful ways we can negotiate and ensure our government will respect the decisions we ask of them to make. And I’m asking you to tell me how we can go about that.”

The woman who had not spoken before did so now. “You’re a direct little thing, aren’t you?”

“I find it’s better to get to the point, rather than dancing around a thing. You can ask my friend here, I’ve always been like that.” Mars muttered her agreement, still unhappy with her. “I apologize for my rudeness.”

She smiled ruefully. “After what you’ve done for us, Serenity-sama, it’s hard to remember that you’re still so young.”

“You come here to ask how you can stop the fighting?” Another man asked. “The simple answer is that you cannot. We refuse to bow to the whims of a government that attempts to murder a young woman who, as you say, did what a good person should do and assist those in need, especially when that government did nothing.”

“If you’ll excuse my interruption, we have no proof that the Diet ordered Serenity’s execution,” Mars said. “I interrogated the would-be assassin myself, and he refused to answer.”

“And you killed him for it?”

Mars’ face was unreadable. “I can assure you that he was alive when Sailor Uranus and myself left him.”

The third man snorted. “And I can assure you that none of us would shed a tear if you admitted to murdering him with your bare hands. Nonetheless, we have done our own reconnaissance, and our own sources have said that the orders for the attempt had come from the government quarter.”

“And how reliable are your sources?” Serenity demanded.

“Enough that I have full confidence in telling you that your life is still in danger.”

Serenity made a face. “My life has been in danger more times than I can count.”

“We have a full guard on her at all times. We have a decoy acting in her stead at the shrine. We can protect her,” Mars stated.

“Just as you did the last time?” The first woman asked dryly, eyebrows raised.

Mars’ face twisted in fury, and Serenity threw her arm out to stop her from lunging at the woman. “Mars, control yourself. My guardians were away on a mission, madam. I believed my safety was adequate enough to order this, and I was proved wrong. However, they’re making up for this now, and in exchange for my safety the other threat we face, the monsters who had five centuries of time to feed on the radiation from the bombs, is growing stronger. I have more than just my own health to worry about, and I’ll thank you to not provoke my warriors. Were I not here to stop here, you would very much regret your words.”

The rebel leaders were silent at this. The first woman had the decency to look embarrassed. Finally, the third man said, “We want you as our new Emperor. That is what would stop the fighting. If you were to manage to rid us of the useless Diet, we would be satiated.”

Serenity met each of their eyes. “The others believe this as well?”

They nodded. She pursed her lips. “There is the fact that the Emperor and his family won’t like this.”

“They are merely figureheads with no true purpose. They are a symbol of the old world, as is the Diet. We live in a new age now. We need a new symbol of unity, and a new ruling body. You see what needs to be done, and you do it. You have power that we can only dream of.”

She frowned. They were hitting a point she should make now, before anyone got any further ideas. “My power is mine and mine alone to use. I will not submit to anyone’s authority other than my own on how I should use it. It is dangerous and costly. The same applies to my husband’s power. If we were to agree to help you overthrow the government, and I haven’t, we will not be puppets to anyone. If I rule, I rule.”

“You will not create a governing body like the Diet?”

“That will be decided when it needs to be. For now, we should take things one step at a time. And for another thing, if you are going to fight in my name, you’re going to have to do things my way. No senseless killing. I’m aware that the police and the soldiers your forces are fighting against aren’t entirely against your cause. If you can manage to arrange a meeting with some of their officers and discuss this, you may find you have more allies than enemies.”

Mars nodded. “If Serenity is to rule, we need everyone to approve of it. We don’t want to have to deal with another twenty years of dealing with rebels.”

“Not everyone will submit.”

“And they don’t have to. It’s their decision. But it would be preferable if the majority approved.”

The first man stood. He walked around the table and stuck out his hand. Serenity took it cautiously, but nothing happened. He shook it. “We will do our best to work under these terms, Serenity-sama. If we do so, will you stand as our leader?”

Serenity looked at Mars, whose face was again unreadable. She looked back at the man. “Yes. If you promise to work to negotiate rather than kill… I will assume the throne, when all is said and done.”


	14. Chapter 14

They ended up staying at the camp. Mars sent word to the shrine about the change in plans; despite Uranus’ impressive curses, Serenity’s mind was made up. She wanted to confer with the rebels to find out firsthand their efforts and what areas they were concentrating on. Mars stood guard with one of the civilian soldiers outside of the leaders’ tent. They went to bed very late, and yet Serenity still had trouble sleeping. Her mind was too busy, going over maps and squad movements and battle tactics. ‘ _And to think, nine years ago I would have laughed you out of the room if you told me any of this… Luna must be so proud…_ ’

After a restless night, they had one more stop to make, before retreating to the safety of the shrine. Mars did protest this, and became louder in her argument as they went further from the rebel camp. “No really, I want someone to test that—that—stupid—motherf—CRYSTAL! It’s made you dumber than usual, Usagi-no-baka! The power has addled your brains! The radiation from it messed your mind up, worse than it affects those monsters!”

Serenity’s jaw was tight, but she thrust away the urge to shout right back. Another thing Luna would be proud of. “It’s not radiation.”

“Well, it’s something. This is the dumbest idea you’ve had yet.”

“Rei-chan. Please. You said yesterday that you were going to at least pretend to respect my judgment. I’m asking you to do that now. We don’t want to scare our hosts.”

Mars fumed, but Serenity took off running. Her guardian had no choice but to run after her.

After so many days cooped up in the shrine, it felt wonderful to have the wind in her hair, to stretch her legs. It seemed that the power of the Crystal, released to its full strength, still functioned as it did when she was Sailor Moon. She was able to run the entire distance to the Imperial Palace grounds and was hardly out of breath. She and Mars leapt over the moat with ease.

The parks surrounding the Imperial Palace were deserted. It was highly unusual, but given the current social status of the country, not unexpected. Still, she and Mars made their way through the trees cautiously.  Mars looked extremely uncomfortable. Serenity noticed. “What is it?”

“Magic. Well, not magic. More like… someone has put some very impressive spiritual wards on these grounds. Like what I did at home.”

“He’s the Emperor. Not only are the family practically priests themselves, of course he’d have some of the most powerful priests protecting him.”

“It’s just… getting uncomfortable. Aren’t you feeling it? It’s like weights on my body.”

Serenity shook her head. “I feel fine.”

“Oh good, it’s just me then,” Mars grumbled.

The closer they came to the imperial residence, she became increasingly uncomfortable. Serenity, on the other hand, was able to walk just fine through the layers of protection. Finally, Mars stopped, stooping with her hands on her knees; she was out of breath. “I can’t…”

Serenity thought for a moment. “Rei-chan… Maybe it’s like the wards you have on the shrine. Are you filled with evil intent?”

She fixed her future queen with a look. “I’m irritated.”

“Irritated and…?”

Mars sat down and rubbed her temples. She stared at the ground for a long while. “It may be that I have a rival spiritual power. And I’m a warrior… We never discussed this during my education. I don’t think anyone ever expected we’d need to battle our way through rival protection spells,” she confessed.

Serenity offered her hand. “Make your heart full of peace. If the spells realize that, even though you’re a rival power, you don’t mean the family any harm… it may be easier.”

Mars took the offered hand. She breathed in and out a few times, going into a meditative state. Serenity waited.

*~*

Saturn entered the control center, and almost tripped over the bundle of electrical cables Mercury had taped to the floor. “It’s almost like you don’t want visitors,” she said, half-kidding.

Usagi’s face lit up. “Hotaru!”

The two women hugged. “It’s still very strange to see you this way, Usagi-chan,” Saturn confessed.

“Well…” she looked bashful. “I can’t exactly say the same. You look the same as you always do.”

Mercury didn’t look up from her typing. “Have the others returned to Crystal Tokyo, then? You always acted as if you’d never seen them before, when we first met them.”

Usagi nodded. “It’s complicated, since in my Mama’s timeline, there was never a threat that caused them to awaken. I probably shouldn’t say; I hardly understand it myself. Apparently Mama sent them on some diplomatic missions to renew ties with other Sailor Soldiers and their planets. They returned a few years ago.”

“I see. Saturn, did you need something?” The older woman asked, finally looking up.

“Yes, actually. I wanted to find out how you were doing with… all of this,” she gestured to the pseudo-virology lab.

Mercury sighed. Usagi looked sad. “We think the only way to just get rid of the problem is to do just that: get rid of the problem. Full extermination.”

Saturn winced. “Serenity-sama won’t like that at all. They’re living creatures, even if they are... how did you put it? Parasites?”

“And then there’s the matter of how to do it. We were only able to defeat the fully-formed monsters after Serenity gave us some of her power. In order to eradicate every one of them… I suppose we’d have to do a more powerful form of the Sailor Planet Attack. Which would require Serenity’s assistance,” Mercury sighed again. “And I really don’t think she’d be up for that.”

“And we don’t know if it would fix everything,” Usagi added. “We could miss a few spots.”

Saturn resisted the urge to add her own sigh to theirs. “Well… it’s something to think about, anyway. Serenity won’t be back until tonight, and we can discuss it then. She might have another idea, when you fill her in.”

“She’s still out there?”

“And Papa and Mars are very unhappy about it.”

“Oh, Kami-sama,” Usagi wound a strand of a pigtail around one finger. “What’s that girl up to now?”

“More surprises,” Saturn said, shrugging. “In the meantime, we were told to keep an eye on the fighting still. There might be defectors from the police and military side of things in the next few days, but we don’t know if they’ll talk peacefully. I’m off to do more patrolling.”

“I’ll go with you. My head aches from all this, and it’d be good to stretch my legs a bit,” Usagi said.

“Mercury?”

The older woman shook her head. “I’ll stay here. I’ve managed to pick up on the creatures’ brain waves, the ones Serenity said she was able to access, and I want to see if I can acquire anything useful from the data.”

“Suit yourself,” Usagi said, and thrust a hand into the air. “CARDINAL MOON POWER, MAKE-UP!”

A swirl of blinding rainbow light flashed, and Sailor Moon stretched her wings. “Shall we?”

*~*

Mars’ meditation helped, and they entered the imperial residential quarters with little fuss. “No guards, even now?” Serenity whispered.

“They might be part of the fight…” Mars murmured back.

Serenity felt her skin prickle at entering such a forbidden place, but she had no choice. She shook off her jitters, and they continued. A thorough search of the extensive home revealed nothing. Mars propped her hands on her hips, thoroughly annoyed. “Really, now. Where would they go?”

“Unless the wards are a decoy?”

“Such a waste of power…”

They tried all of the buildings on the extensive campus, even the ruins of what remained of the old palaces. Several hours of searching proved fruitless. There was nothing. Not even a stray cat wandered the halls. Serenity’s skin prickled further. “This is weird… There should be _something_ , shouldn’t there?”

Mars pursed her lips. “The family is the highest authority on Shinto. They’re trained in it, I know that much. It’s possible that we’ve—I’ve—missed something, if one of them is powerful enough to ward the palace, the family, _and_ hide their tracks.”

“If they’ve hidden, how can you find them?”

The priestess smiled in a way that made Serenity’s hair want to stand on end. “I have my ways. Come on. There was a prayer room not far from here. We can use that.”

*~*

Saturn and Sailor Moon perched on the roof of a building, keeping an eye on a gathering of rebels and police. So far it seemed peaceful, but they wanted to be on hand in case it turned ugly. They passed the time with idle talk. Saturn was interested to hear about how Sailor Moon had gained her guardians; unlike in the current time stream, the Amazoness Quartet had not been reduced to their Sailor Crystals by Queen Nehellania and reawakened by Eternal Sailor Moon in Serenity’s form. They had merely been street urchins in Brazil, using ‘Amazon Stones’ to perform magic tricks to earn their way. The Stones had actually been their Sailor Crystals and power sources; once Mercury and King Endymion had discovered them, the rest was history. Sailor Moon admitted to finding it difficult to accept the differences between the two senshi teams she had met. Hers had taken some time to trust her, after living on the streets for most of their lives, whereas the team they had rescued from Nehellania had been immediately accepting of their role as her guardians.

“Do they obey you now?” Saturn asked.

“I wouldn’t use ‘obey’. Begrudgingly respect, is more like it,” Sailor Moon said. “We’ll work through it. To them, it’s like being in a gang. I haven’t proved myself to them as being worthy as their leader, but they do the job because we’ve given them a better life in the palace. Granted, we have so little enemies to fight, until the monsters showed up, so there hasn’t been much chance to prove that I’m just as much of a fighter as they are.”

“They did fight with you when you came back to fight Chaos, did they not?”

“They didn’t have much of a choice, even though we’d only met a few months before. And since I died…” Sailor Moon made a face. She never liked remembering that fact, no matter how safe and warm the Galaxy Cauldron had felt. “They’ll accept me, in time. At least we can have civil conversations now.”

Movement registered to Saturn’s left. She looked, and saw a large group of people walking up the road. “Usagi-chan!”

Sailor Moon looked as well. Her grip on her staff tightened. “Please don’t let this be trouble…”

Saturn leaped from the building. Sailor Moon flew ahead. “Everyone! Please, there’s a rebel group ahead. We’re trying to keep the peace!” She called.

The dark-haired waif landed gracefully in front of the crowd, wielding her glaive in front of her as a warning. “Please, we ask you nicely. Return to your homes another way than ahead. We don’t want to increase the chances of disaster.”

A young man forced his way through the grumbling, dispersing crowd. “Sailor Saturn!”

Saturn froze, her eyes wide. “Ju-Junpei?!”

She dropped her glaive as he rushed at her, and they hugged fiercely. Sailor Moon landed, her eyes sad and wistful. “New friend, Hotaru-chan?”

“Usagi-chan… this is my… well, we’re very good friends, Junpei and me,” Saturn blushed. “Junpei, this is my dearest friend, Usagi-chan. She’s a Sailor Senshi, like me.”

Junpei shook her hand. “She’s spoken of you often, Senshi-sama. I’m glad to finally meet the one who my Hotaru feels so strongly about.”

The women shared a look. Saturn’s was slightly apologetic, but Sailor Moon’s was full of acceptance and forgiveness. “She’s very fond of you, then?”

Junpei laughed nervously. “Well, I hope so.”

Saturn hugged him again. “What happened to you? I thought you were with your family?”

“I was. We’ve been walking back to Tokyo for… I don’t even know how long. It’s been ages. We waited for a time, thinking the lights in the skies would also bring back the electricity so the trains would run, but they never did. We were just able to eat. Once we had enough of waiting… we just started walking,” Junpei explained.

“We’ve got a lot to tell you, too,” Saturn said, resigning herself to telling the very long story. “It’s been a busy few weeks for us…”

*~*

“In here!” Mars called.

It had taken less time than Serenity had initially anticipated for Mars to divine the location of the imperial family’s hiding place. They pulled up the tatami mats in a back room of the residential house to reveal a trapdoor. Opening it revealed a set of stairs, with a faint light at the bottom. They descended. “Is it wise to have an underground shelter? What if there was an earthquake?” Serenity whispered.

Mars shrugged. At the bottom of the stairs lay three paths, a hallway on each side. The priestess paused, and Serenity waited again. She went to the left. It was a maze, this underground shelter, but Mars was able to divine their way to a door. Even here, there were no guards. “Probably because someone could get lost and die down here, trying to find their way,” Mars muttered.

Serenity grabbed the door handle and was met with a numbing shock. She hissed a curse. “It’s warded,” she said.

Mars placed her hand on the door. Light flared from her palm, and she was able to open the door. They entered, as voices shouted protests from inside. Mars threw up a shield as Serenity knelt before the Emperor and his family. “Your Imperial Majesties,” she started, staring hard at the floor. “Your Imperial Highnesses. We mean you no harm. We are merely messengers.”

There was a long silence. Serenity continued to look at the floor; while it was not faux pas to look at the Emperor himself any longer, she felt that the utmost respect would lessen the blow of this home invasion. She felt a strange tingle at the back of her mind, and then heard a male clear his throat. “Serenity, heiress of the Silver Millennium. I understand we have much to thank you for.”

Shocked, her head snapped up. The Emperor’s face was grave, but there was an amused twinkle in his eye. “Your Imperial Majesty, I—”

“We are blessed by the powers of the gods, much like your sister-at-arms,” he gestured to Mars, who didn’t falter in her protective spell. His light voice was pleasant to listen to, and did not convey any anger at their invasion. “My own power shaped itself during the Occupation, when no man was my friend. Do not be surprised that I can see into your heart.”

“Your spells are impressive,” Mars commented. “Very few with the power of the gods have been able to affect me as you have.”

The Emperor’s eyes twinkled his amusement again. “The work of my daughter,” he gestured to Princess Nori, who bowed her head. “She is adept with protection spells.”

Serenity regarded the Imperial Family. There were a few suspicious stares, but what caught her attention was the sad look she received from Princess Masako. In her arms was Princess Aiko, just six months older than Chibiusa. Her heart hurt, remembering the rumors about the crown princess’ unstable health and the controversy surrounding the little girl’s birth; she hoped that, if the Emperor agreed with the rebels’ desires, Masako could find peace and rest in her new life. “Your Imperial Majesties… I come with a request from the people. A message I wish for you to take into consideration. I have met with the leaders of the rebellion, and at the heart of the fighting they wish for a change in regime. The Diet has not responded to the disaster as the people wished. They fight against the Diet and its supporters in the hopes that they can overthrow them. I fear it will be a long fight.”

“And they wish to install you as their new Empress,” the Emperor said.

Serenity could not meet his eyes; he knew it was true, if he had read her heart as he had said. He made a noise that, in a man of lesser standing, would be called a sigh. “Do you wish me to formally dissolve the Diet? In my limited capacity as ruler, it is the best I can do. And I cannot guarantee that the Diet will not think of the act as being a forced one. They may meet anyway, and those who are sworn to them may still follow their orders. Power may be given to a ruling body by its constituents, but in cases such as these… It may be troublesome to remove it.”

“They aren’t a dictatorship,” Serenity argued. “The people are unhappy, it should be obvious that they should abandon their posts when no one believes in their ability to rule.”

“Young queen, you have much to learn about the power of power. It is a drug. Men with more ambition than self-restraint and resolve are easily addicted to it. They desire more, and will do anything to achieve it. To take it away from so many addicts… I fear you will face much retribution.”

Her mouth set itself stubbornly. The Emperor continued, “There is also the matter of the creatures from another star which you face.”

Behind her, Mars sucked in a breath. Serenity stared. “How did you--?”

“I have advisors who meet with me, discreetly. Word of the new threat to our world has spread quickly.”

“Father, there is also the matter of leading members of the Diet,” Prince Akishino said quietly.

“Yes. The two topics are one in the same,” the Emperor met Serenity’s eyes squarely. “The threat you face has infiltrated the Diet. To defeat one is to defeat the other. When several members of the Diet came here to keep us informed of outside events, I sensed something was not quite right. When I looked into their hearts, I saw they were infected with the parasites from the stars. Does this fit with the impressions you have gathered?”

Serenity looked back at Mars, who raised an eyebrow as if to say ‘How should I know? _You_ kept me out of it.’. She turned back to the Emperor. “To be honest, Your Imperial Majesty, I cannot say. I have met regularly with several Diet members, and did not notice. Every enemy I have faced so far, I was not able to tell if the humans were hosts of the creatures before they were killed in the transformation. We have not been able to detect them, we only know that they react to the power of the Silver Crystal. As long as people don’t touch me or get within a certain range, the hosts aren’t killed.”

The Emperor nodded. “I see. I am able to tell you this, then: these men are much different than the reports I have received of the monsters you have faced. They have been consumed, but the parasites have kept the consciousness of the hosts they occupy. It is like the English parable, the wolf in sheep’s clothing. They are presumably more intelligent than those you have faced. It is my belief that they are the ones who orchestrated the initial disaster; perhaps you would be able to investigate other governments, and see if prominent leaders have also been consumed in this way. I understand many bombs were triggered at the same time.”

Serenity felt hollow. “Imperial Majesty… I need to know. Were you planning to tell anyone about this?”

The Empress spoke up, her voice quiet. “We have discussed this among ourselves for weeks. I have urged my husband to go to you, but he insisted upon waiting.”

“But… why? So much could have been saved!”

Princess Masako, her voice as quiet as her mother-in-law’s, said, “There is a prophecy, handed down in secret, in the Imperial Family. Of one who would overthrow us, the one who carried the power of the moon and the stars in her heart. My honorable father-in-law has recognized the signs of the prophecy coming true, and was uncertain of how to hand himself over to fate.”

“The fears of an old man. I have seen many changes in my lifetime, but the recent lack of such has caused me to become set in my ways. I was not… I failed my people. Even as a ceremonial leader, I am still bound by duty to my ancestors to lead my people to a safe harbor during a storm. And I fear that my own stubbornness and fear has led us astray,” the Emperor looked sad and tired. “And I confess, I wanted to see if you would be capable of leading them to safety and security. This storm is not yet over, young queen, but if it is my duty… I will hand the mantle of leadership to you.

“As a final act, I will resign my power and the power of the Diet to the heiress of the Silver Millennium.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since this was originally set in 2003, Sayako was still a member of the Imperial Family and retained her titles.


	15. Chapter 15

“So wait, the Emperor knew about this all along?” Venus asked as Jupiter took the pins out of her elaborate hairstyle.

Serenity nodded, running a brush through her own tangled mass of hair; while it had felt wonderful to run through the city, she was paying the price. “And he didn’t tell anyone because…?” Jupiter asked.

“I think he was just afraid. Something about a prophecy, and how he was set in his ways… He said he made some mistakes.”

Jupiter looked skyward. “Kami save us, Serenity, you couldn’t pay more attention than that?”

Serenity stuck her tongue out. “Hey! I’ve had a lot to deal with the last two days, be happy I remembered that much!”

“He’s a scared old man,” Mars said, sitting by the door. “And at least he’s willing to help. It won’t be an awful bloodshed like we anticipated. We’re making this as peaceful a transition as possible.”

“Coming from the woman who was against me going there in the first place…”

“It was a dumb idea that turned into an okay idea.”

“So what you’re saying is… I was right and you were wrong.”

“Don’t push your luck.”

“Hee hee! I win!”

“I said, don’t push your luck!” Mars scolded, but she was failing at hiding a smile. It had been a long time since they’d genuinely bantered and had fun.

The atmosphere in the room lifted almost instantly. The women chatted idly about frivolous things for the first time in ages as they switched Serenity and Venus’ appearances back to normal. Venus sighed gratefully when she slipped her light uniform back on. Serenity made a face as she crammed her bosom back into the heavy gold-and-bejeweled bodice. She knew her chest would ache for days while readjusting to the weight. “Another interesting thing happened,” Mars said, watching Jupiter readjust Serenity’s bows. “The Emperor taught me how he was able to see the creatures in people. We can find out who they’ve infected, before they kill their hosts.”

“Mars! Priority numero uno!” Venus’ eyes were wide with excitement. “Seriously, hold out on us some more. Have you told Ami-chan?”

Mars fixed her with a look. “I’m impressed you spoke Spanish without messing it up,” she said dryly. “And yes, I contacted her on our way home. She wants me at the control center to test it with her samples.”

“Well?” Jupiter prodded, raising an eyebrow.

“ _Well_ , I’m waiting for Hotaru and Usagi to come back. We’re still on protection mode, until we’re certain we have the majority on our side.”

Serenity pursed her lips. “It should be time for Usagi to return to the space-time continuum for a while… she’s been here for a long time, right?”

The others shrugged. They had had more important things to worry about than temporal paradoxes. Venus settled her shoulder-guards and replaced her tiara, feeling much better than she had in Serenity’s elaborate gown. She preened in the mirror, making faces at herself and trying to fix her bangs; the others traded exasperated looks at this. Mars looked up, hearing voices outside. She gestured, and they went outside, Serenity trailing at the end. As if on cue, there were Saturn and Sailor Moon, along with a rail-thin young man in glasses, chatting animatedly. “We were just talking about you,” Venus said cheerfully. “Picking up strays, I see?”

Saturn flushed hotly. “Everyone, this is Junpei.”

“Her _boyfriend_ ,” Sailor Moon teased in a sing-song voice.

“Usagi-chan!”

Venus leered. Saturn thrust her chin up, challenging her to tease her as well. Venus winked. “Calm down, kiddo. I’m just jealous, as usual.”

Mars elbowed her. “You aren’t helping.”

Junpei gulped, looking nervous. “Hotaru, I knew you were part of the Sailor Senshi, but this… this is intimidating.”

“We don’t bite,” Jupiter offered.

“Much,” Venus added.

“As long as you don’t try anything stupid, reckless, or dangerous around here,” Mars finished.

The young man nodded. “I understand. There are more of you, are there not?”

“Papa and Michiru-mama were replacing us, weren’t they?” Saturn asked them.

Jupiter nodded. “I think Pluto had some… business to attend to.” She glanced at Sailor Moon meaningfully. The pink-haired princess nodded. “I should probably help her,” she said, and waved. “I’ll be back later.”

Mars looked at Saturn. “Put up a Silence Wall for the time being. I have to go meet with Mercury, and you’d do well to have the added protection.”

Saturn nodded. “I’ll do my best. Be safe.”

*~*

“So it’s as easy as that?” Mercury asked as Mars finished.

Mars raised her eyebrows. “I’m glad that looked easy, because it felt like hell.”

They’d spent the last hour going over Mercury’s findings, discussing the (now a back-up) plan she and Usagi had settled, and Mars acquainting her new skills with the alien samples they had gathered. Mercury had explained how she and Serenity were able to connect with the creatures’ collective brain waves; Mars found that by seemingly entering that wave of thought, she was very familiar indeed with how the creatures thought and behaved. It had taken a lot of her strength to do this, but she hoped that it would be easier to spot the infected humans as time went on.

She also hoped she wouldn’t need to use this particular skill for much longer.

“It makes you wish for the good old days, when the enemy would just lay out his origins and plans for you during a grand speech,” Mercury said, smiling.

Mars chuckled. “That it does. Who knows, we may have that yet. We still have to take out the leaders.”

“What are we going to do?”

The raven-haired priestess shrugged. “I think we’ll just have to go for it the old-fashioned way. Storm the gates, as it were.”

Mercury looked around. “I’d better go back with you… I don’t know what else I’ll be able to do here. I’ve gone over everything I can think of…”

“We’ll send Luna and Artemis here; they’ll like bossing us around again. It’ll be safer for them, and they might be able to spot anything you’ve missed too.”

Mercury made a face at the insinuation that she was sloppy. Mars smiled.

*~*

After Junpei was escorted safely to his family home, Serenity insisted that everyone stay in the shrine until further notice. She made a simple request to Mars: that she build up the fire in the fire-reading room, and hold vigil with her for one day. Endymion posted himself outside, while the others asked each other quietly what was going on. Luna and Artemis had the air of knowing around them—no one was sure if they actually knew, or if they were just behaving like cats.

In truth, it was a simple vigil. Serenity spent the day in meditation, getting lost in the dancing flames. She wanted Mars nearby for spiritual guidance—if she needed it. She felt her husband’s faithful support outside, and the support, if confusion-riddled, from her guardians nearby. Mars would feed her the occasional quiet reminders to breathe rhythmically, but other than that, neither spoke.

She was afraid.

Though she had known for nearly ten years her destiny, to fully revive the Silver Millennium on Earth, she had avoided thinking about it as much as possible. Yes, she and Mamoru had agreed to follow what they knew of future events—marrying young and having Chibiusa. But part of her had always wondered what would have happened if they had decided to wait. She loved Mamoru more than anything, and nothing thrilled her more than finally having him all to herself, but it had been hard. Here, with her own thoughts, she could admit that the last two years had been very hard. Being in school, raising a daughter, struggling to make ends meet... learning a very hard lesson that one could not survive on love alone (thought they tried).

And now?

Had they set into motion these events? What would have been different, had they put off the wedding like her parents had wanted? She shook her head. ‘ _You’re being silly!_ ’ Her more reasonable self said. ‘ _If Setsuna were here, she would tell you that nothing could have changed events set into motion long ago. You know these aliens have been here for a long time, and they’ve obviously been plotting something for years. You and Mamo-chan marrying had nothing to do with it. And think how much worse off you’d be, if you weren’t bound to one another!_ ’

She smiled at the last thought. Though it had been ages since they’d last been together, she knew the wait would pay off. It had been that way their first time; Mamoru had been too much of a gentleman to bed her before she was eighteen (even without the complicated consent laws), and years of pent-up desire had led to a very fun celebratory weekend in his apartment. Now, thanks to the addition of ancient lunar marital rites discovered with in the Moon’s main computer, their bonds as husband and wife were threaded deeper than normal. Upon reading them, Minako had teased her about how much sex was involved, but it was Ami (blushing the entire time) who had noted the link between ancient Green and Roman moon priestesses and sex for their prayers and powers.

They would need that strength, two days from now. She knew where the Diet was meeting in secret, thanks to information passed on by the Emperor. Some might protest that they were charging in blindly, but she relied on hope. Hope that they would listen, that they could collaborate, and that she could find a way to peacefully end this conflict for everyone. She knew about Mercury’s plan, but she truly hoped they wouldn’t need to use it.

Mercury.

Mercury. Her tireless friend, working through every avenue she could think of to find answers to the threat their world faced. And Mars, sitting here with her, always the first in line to argue against Serenity’s decisions, and the first in line to defend them; her dearest friend. Jupiter, reliable, strong Jupiter, with her kind words of wisdom. Venus’ quick wit and determination to never let anyone get too downhearted, her spiritual sister and twin. Saturn had grown so much after her new life, so much happier than the little girl they’d met so many years ago, so determined to prove herself just as good as her elders. Her loyal protector, Uranus, second only to Endymion. Neptune’s harsh, realistic outlook on life that had saved them so many times. And Pluto, her trusted advisor, so bothered by the turn of events that she had not been able to foresee.

Her friends. Her guardians, the women who had stuck by her for years, despite their many differences, and even more fights. Was she leading them to their deaths? Or to a new, peaceful path in life?

At dawn, she and Mars broke vigil and slept. Before retiring, Serenity told Endymion to tell everyone to get a lot of rest for the next day. “If anyone asks, just say we’re going to finish this, and everyone needs to be in their best shape.”


	16. Chapter 16

_“Artemis, Luna. I need you two at the control center. Use what data Mercury has entered into the computers in whatever way you can to help. We need you as our external eyes and ears.”_

_“Usagi-chan…”_

_“Luna. We’ll be fine.”_

Serenity still felt the tight embrace she and Luna had shared. It was a comfort during the long walk to the Diet’s hidden meeting place; with every step the dread inside her grew.

They made an impressive sight, nine Sailor Soldiers led by Serenity and Endymion, marching on the Diet. Most civilian soldiers they met merely nodded and left. A few stopped them, on orders from the rebellion leaders, to inform them about the number of soldiers and police who had defected to their side. It made the march easier, knowing that so many people were on their side. “Sis?”

Serenity looked around. A man was pulling off his motorcycle helmet—it was not an uncommon sight for rebel soldiers to use them for battle gear—to show his face. “Shingo!”

She ran for him, and he met her halfway. She crushed him in a hug, even as he stood two heads taller than her. “Oh, Shingo… I didn’t know…”

“I’m all right, sis.”

She had lost track of him, after her father had been killed. She had been too busy trying to push back her own pain, make sure Chibiusa and her older counterpart Usagi were kept well apart, and that her mother was looked after while she grieved. She hadn’t spared a thought to where her brother had gone, if he was okay. It pierced her heart to think that she’d forgotten about him. “Shingo, I’m… I’m so sorry...”

“Sis, its fine, you have a lot on your plate. I’m a big kid now, I don’t always need you looking over my shoulder to protect me,” he said.

“No it’s… Shingo, what are you doing out here? Dressed like that?”

“You expect me to sit back after what happened to Pop? After what they tried to do to you?”

Serenity felt hot tears forming at the mention of her father’s death. “Shingo, they had nothing do to with Papa…”

“Yeah, well… some weird rumors around the camps. Someone said that the government is controlling the monsters.”

She must have gone stiff, because he said, “And they’re right, aren’t they? That’s why you guys are charging on to battle?”

“I wouldn’t call it a charge,” Venus said. “More like a… stroll. With a purpose.”

“Venus…” Mercury hissed the warning.

Serenity looked up at her brother. “Shingo, it’s going to get… it’s going to get intense around here. I want you to go to the Aino’s and be with Mama and Chibiusa. I don’t want you anywhere near this. I want you to be with them… just in case.”

Shingo frowned, and Serenity was suddenly struck with how much he resembled their father. “Usagi, I can’t do that.”

“Why not?” She demanded, her voice breaking.

“I have to do this. I have to fight where I can. I can’t just sit at home, waiting for you to fix this like you always do. This is my home too. I want to defend it. And I will defend it,” Shingo’s voice rang with finality and Serenity’s eyes widened—he’d grown up when she hadn’t been watching.

“Shingo…”

He let go of her and knelt, taking her hand. “I’d have never believed that you were the one who saved us from all the strange things happening around town, if someone other than you had told us. Sailor Moon, my idol, my own sister? And now… the rumor around the camps is that you’re going to be the new emperor. Empress Usagi.” He laughed, and she choked back a sob. “Even now, that sounds completely ridiculous. My lazy, video game-obsessed, dessert-stealing sister: empress. But I swear I’ll be the first in line to defend you, and your right to the throne. You’re the best chance we’ve got against these monsters, sis. You and the girls… you’re our hope.

“Anything you need, sis, I’m your man.”

Serenity dropped to her knees and embraced him again. “Don’t ever kneel to me, Shingo. You’re family. And thank you…”

He hugged her tightly. “Go kick some ass, sis.”

She laughed, and wiped away a few tears that had leaked out. They stood. Shingo looked over her shoulder. “Ami-chan.”

Serenity turned. Mercury looked startled. Shingo saluted her, and smiled. “Try not to get hurt out there… for my sake.”

Her face turned a deep shade of red, and Shingo left without another word. Venus poked her in the arm, a sly grin on her face. “Ami-chan…” she teased.

Jupiter slung an arm around the smaller woman’s shoulders. “Someone’s made a conquest.”

“I thought it was just a crush! And it was years ago! Surely he would have been over it by now!” Mercury stammered.

Serenity took her friend’s hands, smiling. “He never quite gave up on you. He’s always loved you, Ami-chan.”

To everyone’s amusement, she turned an even darker shade of red. Sailor Moon rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “Huh… I guess that’s why I always call you Ami-oba, but not the others…”

Mercury shrieked, covering her face with her hands in embarrassment, while the others laughed. Sailor Moon caught Serenity’s eye and winked.

*~*

Their mood considerably less dour, they arrived at the secret meeting place with no further incidents. The guard, a soldier who had not defected, halted them at gunpoint. A few of the guardians raised their eyebrows at one another, as if to ask ‘ _Seriously? Right now? That’s what you want to do right now. Really?_ ’ Serenity raised her hands in a gesture of peace. “It is vital that I speak with them. Immediately.”

“On what business?”

“Everything.”

The guard squinted at her. She narrowed her eyes in return. She was getting tired of all these safekeeping practices, and if she wasn’t trying to keep things peaceful, she would have just blasted her way through with the power of the Silver Crystal and be done with it. The staring contest held for another minute, before the guard jerked his gun sideways, indicating that they would be allowed to pass. She smiled radiantly at him, and they moved on.

Upon entering the Diet’s arena—and it could be called nothing else, with politicians shouting at one another across a vast underground room—Serenity wound her way through the chaos until she stood at the center of the room. Her husband, guardians, and future child remained on the sidelines, but spread themselves evenly around the perimeters. The quiet began at the center, and slowly spread until everyone was silent, as Serenity waited patiently, her hands clasped before her to hide her sudden onset of nerves. Before, she had dealt only with Dietman Hino and his cronies—who she could see from where she stood. Now, she dealt with the Diet in its entirety. She took a deep breath, and spoke in a loud, clear voice, “The Diet has been officially dissolved by His Imperial Majesty the Emperor. You will, by now, have received word of this proclamation, and thus your presence here is absolutely moot. I have been assured that—”

“Demon-child!” Someone shouted. She didn’t know where they were among the hundreds of representatives now buzzing around her.

“Sorceress!” Another screeched. “You bewitched His Imperial Majesty into dissolving the government so you could claim power for yourself!”

Serenity fought the urge to roll her eyes. It was amazing how people reverted to the most basic of insults, as if such things mattered now. “If those of you with such reactions had noticed earlier the displeasure of the people you were elected to govern, His Imperial Majesty would not have seen it fit to dissolve the Diet of his own free will.” She raised her voice further over the increase of shouts and insults. “Your former constituents are most displeased. We are, ladies and gentlemen of the former Diet, at war. The nation rips itself apart. The civilians and military presence battle one another on the streets. Their battle cry is simple: we desire change, and we will not rest until change is brought about.”

“And you had no hand in that?” A woman nearby sneered.

“It was the attempt on my life that began it,” Serenity said coldly, glaring at her. “An attempt that many sources have traced back here; whether or not that accusation is true remains unclear, but it has enough merit that the people of Japan have risen up against their government in protest. It is their belief that I have done more to save them in this time of uncertainty than you have, and they will not stand for murder.”

Several people surged forward. Sailor Uranus moved as if to run to Serenity, but Sailor Jupiter hurried over and grabbed her arm. “Wait, Haruka,” Jupiter said, her eyes betraying her own worry.

“She’s talking big, our kitten,” Uranus replied, her voice tight.

“Maybe she’s not so much of a kitten anymore.”

Dietman Hino’s voice surged over the others. “If you had not intervened in a problem that was not yours to begin with, Serenity, then we would not be faced with this disaster.”

Sailor Mars’ eyes narrowed. Sailor Neptune flashed her mirror briefly at her to get her attention, and when she had it, silenced her with a gloved finger to her lips; she then mimed praying, and Mars took the hint. She sank into meditation, and began the process of looking for those Diet members who had been consumed by the alien threat. Serenity’s voice rang out again, “Again, if you had been paying attention, this entire situation reeks of a problem I need to deal with. We have been invaded! And as I’ve done countless, and thankless, times before, I must protect the people of the Earth from alien threats!”

An arm wound its way around her throat. She choked for air; she scrunched her face in concentration, and the people around her—and her attacker—were thrown back from a blast of raw Crystal power. She hovered several feet off the ground, her dress billowing in the waves of energy radiating from her. “You shouldn’t have tried that,” she murmured, almost sorrowfully.

She nodded to her guardians; Pluto, Venus, Neptune, and Mercury brought out the transport crystals. The power embedded in them from the Silver Crystal should have released any aliens from infected hosts in their range, but none appeared. Serenity guessed that she had quite a range of power around her as well, and none of those around her were affected by it. “Which of you is the leader?” She asked quietly, her voice carrying over the stunned silence.

No one responded. Mars’ voice carried to her from across the arena: “They won’t say, but they’re thinking it anyway. My father.”

Serenity locked eyes with Mars. The woman looked conflicted: years of hatred for the man who had sired, and then abandoned, her, mixed with the unexpected shock and mild grief for the death of someone she had known. She may not have loved, or even liked, her father very much, but Serenity knew that her friend must be in pain anyway. For any number of reasons: words unsaid, lost chances, even the bitterness that she couldn’t stand up to him now. She wished she could comfort her, but she also knew Mars would wave her off. Instead, she turned her attention to Takashi Hino, who had an odd look on his face. When he spoke, there was an underlying hiss to it, “ _So, you’ve figured it out. It took you long enough, lunar queen._ ”

“How many of you are there here?” She demanded.

“ _Enough. Our numbers here are inconsequential, when faced with the numbers we have in your governments across this star._ ”

“Who are you?” Sailor Moon called. “What do you want with us?”

Hino turned to the pink-haired princess. “ _Your bratling should learn to hold her tongue. Even ours know better than to speak out of turn._ ” He looked back at Serenity. “ _We are the Veoshim. Our rock of a star was destroyed during the war. A war I recall you participating in, lunar queen. Your final battle was not far from where the remains of our star were, and we felt your energy passing_.”

“You were attacked in the Sailor Wars? Galaxia?”

“ _The galaxy’s soldier took our guardian’s seed. Sailor Meshovi was taken very early in the war, and as punishment for her defiance to Sailor Galaxia… our people were punished. We drifted, the last of our people clinging to that sorry excuse of a rock, the last remnant of our star. Eventually we reached this star system. We could feel the energy of the ancient lunar kingdom lingering through this system’s stars. We remembered the war, Galaxia’s proclamation that she would take every guardian seed in the galaxy, and thought we would find an empty star. We were pulled into this star’s orbit, and crashed here_.”

Serenity was puzzled. “Why would you attack our people, and us? We could live peacefully together, with no need for this chaos.”

“ _We thrive in hosts, until we are able to build our own bodies. Our hosts were destroyed by Galaxia. Your star is ripe with them.”_

“And the bombs?” Neptune asked, her voice tight.

Hino grinned, sending a chill down Serenity’s spine. “ _We rebuild our lives in hosts, but we gain our strength from the unstable minerals that sleep under the surface of this star. It was convenient that the new stock of hosts had discovered a way to bring the maximum power from the minerals, and so quickly._ ”

“We do not!” Venus snapped, gripping the transport crystal tightly. “Or didn’t you notice when your stock of hosts had grown smaller from the destruction? We are destroyed by the radiation you gain strength from!”

“ _A minor setback,_ ” Hino shrugged.

One politician was snapped from his terrified reverie, and lunged for Hino at that remark. “People have DIED, Hino!”

Hino’s hand lashed out, and the young man’s neck was snapped. Serenity gasped in horror as the body fell. “You didn’t have to kill him!”

“ _He was annoying. We had no need of him_.”

“What do you plan to do now? We’ve caught you. We can send you home. Your star has been reborn, I made sure of that when I entered the Galaxy Cauldron. Your guardian is probably lost, wondering what her purpose is now that she has no one to protect,” Serenity said, trying to appeal to his better nature.

“ _We rather like it here_.” Hino said. There were many hisses of assent throughout the room. Those who were not infected looked around in terror at their fellows. “ _Good stock. We can easily take over this rock, and many of us had already taken new forms… before you and your guardians destroyed them_.”

“Because they killed innocent people,” Saturn shouted; her glaive was unsteady as she shook from fury.

“ _Be wary of throwing the word ‘innocent’ around, harbinger of death_ ,” Hino said idly, looking at her. “ _Many of these hosts had little restraint before we took them. Were you to capture those who detonated the bombs, you would show little to no surprise at their identities_.”

Serenity’s hands were balled into fists. “The children your people infected would say otherwise, if they were still alive.”

“ _I grow weary of talk_ ,” Hino said suddenly, straightening. “ _If you wish to avenge the deaths of your hosts, then by all means. Try_.”

He lunged for her. She threw up a shield of Crystal energy, and he bounced off it. His skin began to turn to the same rippling black mass that their previous enemies had. “If anyone wants to see tomorrow, get the hell out of here!” Venus shouted, and hundreds of politicians fled, causing more chaos.

About thirty remained, when the stampede subsided. Mars nodded. “This is all of them.”

“Well then,” Uranus commented, and cracked her knuckles. Jupiter followed suit. “By all means, let’s try.”

“LUNA MARIA!”

The arena was instantly flooded; the guardians were quicker than the Veoshim, and leapt to high ground as they choked on seawater. When the tide subsided, Pluto twirled her great key. “Luna… Superstitio…” she whispered, barely heard.

Phantoms appeared before the Veoshim hosts; whatever consciousness remained of the hosts screamed, terrified of whatever they saw. Serenity, floating high above the confusion, couldn’t tell what Pluto had done. She would have to find out later. Sailor Moon’s cry of “MOON TWILIGHT FLASH!” effectively knocked out one opponent, the scream from Pluto’s torment dying on his lips, though he still lived. Two Veoshim hosts went for Mars; she fired her Flame Sniper to distract them, while Venus chained three others together. Uranus’ sword was locked with one woman’s arm, which had gone rigid and black, half-transformed to her true form.

Serenity called her Moon Tiare staff, facing Hino. “We don’t have to do this.”

“ _We live here. We have assimilated, thrived, become stronger on the fruits of your world. If you do not accept this, then we must_.”

They were invaders, she thought, and she focused power into her staff. They may have profited from her world, but that did not mean that they had the right to cause such harm to her people in the process. The amount of human blood on the hands of the Veoshim would never be washed away. “Did you ever wonder why you never became as strong as you wanted? Almost twenty atomic bombs, and you still didn’t gather enough strength to grow your own bodies. Except when your people met me,” Serenity taunted. “Near me, they exploded into bodies they couldn’t even control. The power I possess was too much for them; power I used to halt time, stop the explosions in their tracks, cut you off from your food. I could see it, the flesh of your people rippling with the effect of so much power. Now I understand it, their rampaging. We only destroyed those who couldn’t handle it. The weaker, sickly population. And you remain.”

“ _We are the strong. You did us a favor, ridding us of weaklings_.”

“I AM NOT YOUR PERSONAL EXTERMINATOR!” Serenity roared, and blasted Hino with a shot from the Tiare. None of her guardians could ever remember her speaking in such a way.

Saturn’s attack muted the room, and everyone’s teeth gritted at the hollowness. The Veoshim writhed in pain from the vacuum. She swiped her glaive through the air, removing the vacuum, and Jupiter struck one Veoshim with lightning, frying him. Tears streamed from Serenity’s face as Hino struggled to get up. His control over the transformation to Veoshim form was diminishing, and his flesh rippled from the Crystal’s energy. “Serenity!” Mercury called, flinging freezing water at another attacker. “Everyone, to me!”

They gathered, and she quickly explained her plan; she had been in contact with Luna and Artemis the entire battle, and they had agreed with her. “The only way is a Sailor Planet Attack.” At Serenity’s outraged look, Mercury silenced her with a hand over her mouth. “No objections, Majesty. You just unleashed the power of the Crystal on him and it barely fazed him. This is not the time to play nice.”

“He’s spilling everything though,” Venus said. “Killing him outright…”

“Is deserved,” Mars finished. “They’ve killed. Millions. There’s no way he’s resolving anything peacefully. We have as much information as we need. We know how to find the other masterminds. We can’t waste any more time.”

No one argued, perhaps thinking that as the Japanese mastermind host was the body and consciousness of her father, Mars should have the final say. Serenity nodded, moving Mercury’s hand. “Fine. I don’t like it, but…”

“It’s the only way, Mama,” Sailor Moon told her gently; they locked eyes, and Serenity knew the name slip was no accident.

Uranus squeezed her shoulder in reassurance. “Let’s go.”

They circled up. Serenity, in the center, summoned the physical Crystal. Endymion added his own Golden Crystal power to their strength. “ _What are you doing?”_ Hino hissed furiously.

Her guardians’ costumes glowed a brilliant silvery-gold, their planetary symbols beacons of color on their foreheads. Serenity was flush from the power flowing through her. “What we probably should have done ages ago,” she whispered. “I’m sorry.”

“SAILOR! PLANET! ATTACK!”


	17. Chapter 17

When the light died and the smoke cleared, there were two Veoshim hosts left: the one Sailor Moon had knocked out earlier, and another, who had sheltered himself behind the first’s body. Serenity, drained from the effort, lost control of her levitation, and fell; Uranus caught her. The older woman kissed the top of her head affectionately. “Nice work, dumpling.”

Serenity smiled up at her. “We all did well,” she told her, then looked at the remaining enemies. “He hid,” she said, startled. “The others faced us straight on, but he hid. And the other wasn’t affected at all.”

“So what do we do with them?” Endymion asked, coming up behind them.

“Did he attack anyone?” Neptune asked.

“Usagi,” Serenity called softly. “The man on the ground. You attacked him, right? Did he come after you?”

“No,” Sailor Moon replied. “I aimed to stun, get him out of the way.”

Serenity touched her chin, thinking. “Should we tie them up?” Venus suggested.

“The one’s unconscious,” Jupiter argued. “Not much point there.”

“Usagi. Have you mastered the Healing Escalation?” Serenity asked suddenly.

Sailor Moon blinked. “Of course.”

“I want you to try to use that on the Veoshim. Maybe… maybe we can clear their minds enough to negotiate a peace.”

“Why can’t she use the Silver Moon Crystal Power Kiss?” Saturn asked. “It’s more powerful.”

Serenity tapped the butt of her Eternal Tiare on the floor. “Interference,” she and Pluto chorused.

“Anyway, my scepter is suited to the Healing Escalation,” Sailor Moon said, twirling the crystal moon scepter and stepping forward. “Here goes nothing… MOON HEALING! ESCALATION!”

Golden light spread across the two forms. “We could have done this on Rei’s father,” Mercury murmured to Serenity as they watched.

Mars heard anyway. “No. We couldn’t have. He was too far gone, into the madness and anger. I could see it. Even if they communicate in a hive mind, the stronger ones stand out… and he was a forest fire among match flames. Consumed by hate and anger for the loss of his planet… though I can’t say for sure that his host wasn’t without hate and anger either. My father was ruthless.”

“Rei-chan…”

“It’s fine. There’s nothing else to do about it.”

Serenity rested a hand on the priestess’ shoulder anyway. Mars covered it with her own hand briefly, and then went forward to interrogate the stirring forms of the Veoshim. Uranus followed. The taller woman knelt, while Mars bent over them, glaring. “Wake up.”

The second man’s eyes were slightly out of focus. Uranus slapped him. He yelped, touching the reddening area. “What was that for?”

“Get you to pay attention.”

“You gonna cooperate, or do we have to make you?” Mars demanded.

“I’ll cooperate, I’ll cooperate,” the man held up his hands in surrender.

“Good. We’ve got questions.” Serenity stepped up. “Your kind. You’re affected by the power given off by the Silver Crystal, correct?”

The man nodded. Serenity pursed her lips. “But only when you’re in close proximity. I used the Crystal several times on a large scale and none of your fellows broke out.”

“No.”

“So, theoretically, if I were to use the Crystal to send you home, everything would be fine.”

The second man was silent. The first stared at the floor hard, saying, “We have no one left to lead us. And the others, they are… hard. It would be difficult to convince them to go home.”

“Liar,” Mars spat. “You’re all connected. I can see into your hive mind. It isn’t hard to convince them to go home, especially when you have a home and a Sailor Guardian waiting for you. You can leave us in peace, and live out your lives.”

“Our hosts…”

Mercury spoke up, “The bodies you inhabit are capable of reproducing still. I’m sure you can figure out a way to make them reproduce, as well as continuing your own lineage, and continue your lives on your own planet.”

“Gross, Mercury,” Venus commented, slightly green around the mouth.

“It’s not pleasant, but it’s the truth,” she protested. “Who knows, maybe they’ll evolve those human shells into something more sustainable for their purposes.”

“Or maybe they’ll disintegrate, if the radiation is too much, and they’ll be back at square one,” Sailor Moon muttered under her breath; luckily, only Saturn heard, and she jabbed her elbow into the pink-haired princess’ side.

“I can send you home. I told you, you have a home to return to. I made sure of that when I entered the Galaxy Cauldron. I wanted the stars who had burned out to return to their former lives. I don’t want to commit genocide here. I want you to live. Don’t you think there’s been enough bloodshed between our peoples?

“If you let me, I can help you, too,” Serenity extended a hand.

The two men looked at each other. They close their eyes briefly, and then reached for her.

*~*

With the help of the transport crystals, Sailor Moon’s Pink Moon Crystal, and Endymion’s Golden Crystal, Serenity was able to send the willing Veoshim home. Before they left, one of the Veoshim occupying a Diet member’s body said, “You will be able to find the resisters and destroy them. They won’t go easily, but they will not be as strong as the ones you fought here. There will not be many left; we tried to reason with them, but they are set in their ways.

“They are the ones you seek to give justice. Those of us who are leaving… we apologize for what we have done to your people. And we hope you will not think of us too badly.”

Once the majority of the Veoshim were gone, the group retreated to the shrine to rest. Mars worked with Luna and Artemis to create maps of where the remaining Veoshim laired. Mercury eventually joined them, to begin work on destroying the remaining cell samples; she wanted to take no chances on Usagi’s encounters with the unstable Veoshim in the 30th century happening anyway.

On the second day after the Veoshim left, Serenity went with Uranus and Neptune to the Imperial Palace. The others stood a wary guard behind her as she knelt before the Emperor and his family. “We’re working on a plan to finish this,” she explained. “It’s a matter of finding them first. The problem with the Diet has been resolved, though I’m sure you’ve already been told about that.”

“Yes,” the Emperor said lightly. “It was a bit of news that my informants thought was important.”

She smiled, and his family chittered their amusement. He continued, “I know it’s difficult, and I commend you on a job that not many would be able to do.”

“I don’t like it,” she said. “It’s hard to remember that they aren’t people anymore, that they’re invaders and they’ve done terrible things. It was just… It was hard, when family members of those I love were involved. Familiar faces doing terrible things… it never gets easier.”

“You’ve experienced this before.”

“Yes,” she whispered, looking down. She remembered the looks on her friends’ faces as they attacked her in the Galaxia Palace. She knew that it had only been their reanimated bodies, but it still hurt to remember. “And I’d hoped to never face something so horrible ever again.”

“With luck, you won’t. It is up to you now to create a future where such things will never happen again,” the Emperor said.

Serenity looked up at him; he and his family looked as if a hundred weights had been lifted from their shoulders. He smiled. “May the graces of the gods smile upon you, Your Imperial Majesty, Empress Serenity. I relieve my throne to you and yours, in the hopes that you will be a far stronger leader than I ever could have hoped to be.”

*~*

The next day, Mars, Luna, and Artemis returned to the shrine. “We have four central locations,” Luna started, when they all had gathered. “We hope that we can get to them before they think to move; it’s uncertain if they know to keep on the move just yet, if they’re intelligent or simply resistant drones still loyal to Hino’s plans.”

“Where are we at?” Venus asked.

Mars spread a map before them, and pointed. “Milan, Qatar, Sao Paolo, and Dallas.”

“We’re pretty sure we took care of those in charge of the bombings here, in Australia and Vietnam,” Artemis said.

“We were in Milan… If we’d’ve known, we could have…” Neptune murmured.

“We had no way of knowing,” Uranus told her. “We can’t beat ourselves up over something that we couldn’t prevent.”

But Neptune’s heels were dug in. “I should have tried harder. The mirror… I was jet lagged. I couldn’t concentrate like I needed to,” she said, her voice iron-like. She strode down the brick path and into the trees; Uranus moved to go after her, but Jupiter touched her wrist. “Let her cool off. She’s been strong for us this whole time, she needs a few minutes to be selfishly angry with herself. Besides, we were in Sao Paolo not long ago. I’m none too happy with myself either.”

Serenity was tracing the outline of a continent with one finger. “I think we should split into two groups. The Crystals should be enough, if what the Veoshim said was true. The ones who are left aren’t as strong. We can defeat them normally.”

“You aren’t staying?” Saturn asked.

“I need to see this through to the end,” she replied.

They split into two groups: Serenity led her guardians to the west. Endymion led his future daughter and the Outer guardians east. Serenity’s group defeated the mob in Milan easily, using the energy from the Crystal as bait to release the mutations, and the guardians defeating them easily with their new powers. They struggled more in Qatar, but after a final blast of raw power Serenity was able to finish the job the others had started. Endymion’s group ran into some trouble initially in Dallas, with most of the Outer soldier’s new powers being more suited to defensive tactics than offensive; eventually they managed to work around it with the addition of Sailor Moon’s power.

Serenity was disappointed in the lack of real challenge from the so-called resisters. She felt it was hardly worth all the effort to get rid of them if they had no real motivation to stay, other than remaining orders from Hino. “It’s like they were zombies,” she muttered after they returned to Japan. “Mindless, walking husks set on one thing.”

“Sheesh, stop watching so many movies,” Venus said. “They were just like the ones we fought here, just with reinforced instincts from the hive.”

The others looked at her. She blinked. “What? I’m not allowed to be the serious one sometimes?”

Jupiter laughed and slung an arm around the smaller woman’s shoulders. “You’ve got good points, hon, we’re just not used to you making use of them.”

Venus snorted. “Well, get used to it. As chief advisor to the queen, I’ll be making a lot of them soon.”

“Chief advisor?” The others chorused, their tones ranging from outrage to amusement.

“You?” Mars scoffed. “As if.”

“Hey! I’m the leader! I get to be chief advisor! Prime Minister, if you will.”

“She can have it, as far as I’m concerned. I’d rather be chief medical advisor,” Mercury commented with a smile.

“Just because you’re chief bodyguard doesn’t mean you get to be Prime Minister!” Mars poked Venus’ cheek. “Besides, Serenity doesn’t even know how she wants to form a government.”

“Actually…” Serenity looked up at the sky; it was a clear, crisp winter day, with wispy clouds high, high above. She smiled at the sounds of birds returning. Spring was coming, and with it an entirely new leaf in history. “I did have a few ideas. The first Cabinet role I want to fill is a very important one, and it’s one that I think Rei-chan would fit in very well.”

The others looked at her expectantly. She grinned. “Secretary of Pain-in-the-Rump.”

Mars screeched in outrage, and Serenity took off, hiking her skirts up as she laughed. “USAGI NO BAKA!”

*~*

The next task was going to be much harder. Serenity called for a meeting between the leaders of the rebellion and the remaining commanders under sworn loyalty to the now-disbanded government. They met in a neutral location, with Serenity and Endymion presiding. “The time for fighting is over,” Serenity began. “The Diet has been dissolved, and the former Emperor has stepped down from the throne in my favor.”

“You’re a lying, scheming bitch,” the army commander snapped.

Endymion stood abruptly, and Serenity had to grab on to his arm to keep him from laying a hand on the man. “You will be silent unless you have something productive to say,” Endymion said, his voice tight. “You have no right and no cause to say such things to my wife.”

“Endymion, sit down,” Serenity ordered. She turned hard blue eyes on the army commander. “With all due respect, commander, I am neither lying nor scheming, and I am definitely not a bitch. If you feel that I am best described in those terms, it’s clear that you know nothing about me, and you simply feel that you must resort to the lowest of insults in an attempt to shut me up. A woman, speaking her mind, how dare she. If that is the case, then I must ask you to leave so the adults can continue talking.”

She and the army commander held a staring contest until he looked away, his cheeks turning pink. “Now, as we were saying…”

It took several long, hard hours of negotiation before any sort of agreement was drawn up. Serenity would not agree to another constitutional monarchy, when so many former Diet members would be the likely political candidates for a new legislative branch. No one was entirely comfortable with an absolute monarchy in the hands of unknowns with unnerving amounts of power in their hands. In the end, an agreement was made: Serenity would serve as an active monarch, with a limited council of lords and a limited council of commons to advise her and assist with legislation; each council would have a set term of six years in office with no chance at reelection. No political careerists from the dissolved Diet would be allowed to serve on either council, unless hand-selected by Serenity. Candidates for each council would be elected by their constituents, and selected from there by Serenity. Political districts would be redrawn due to changes in population and landscape; a new census would have to be done as well. They left the judiciary system alone to function as it currently did.

“There is the matter of the line of succession…” A naval officer commented.

“Our daughter will be raised with the throne and her country in mind. She will understand how to govern and lead, as will her daughter after her,” Endymion said. “A direct line of succession.”

“Females leading…” the army commander scoffed under his breath; Serenity heard him anyway and glared at him. “I would prepare yourself for a matriarchy, commander. My bloodline runs strongly with females.”

The others glanced at each other; some shrugged in acceptance, others smirked at the thought of similar reactions from others. Still others looked deeply unhappy with this, but in most cases they had demanded too much to consider demanding something as uncontrollable as the sex of an unborn child. “And marriages?” One asked. “It is traditional that a female leaves her country. A queen would not be able to do this, unless you plan on marrying her off to lesser sons.”

“Our daughter is too young to consider this. Marriage negotiations will happen as they happen,” Endymion said carefully, thinking of how Usagi would scold him about Helios. “It’s a new age, and perhaps it is time to consider new practices.”

There was a general “harrumph” around the table, and they left it at that. Serenity bit her lip. “There is the matter of the military…”

The military side of the negotiations tensed up. “I don’t want to completely dissolve the military. My warriors are more than enough for most terrestrial threats, let alone extraterrestrial threats. But they will have other duties. I do want to say that the military as it is will face some changes. We can negotiate that later, particularly when many of you have been chafing under Occupation-era restrictions for years. I want you to expect change: some good and others bad.”

A few heads nodded. Others looked ahead stubbornly, and she knew she had a fight ahead, but it was one she would worry about later. “Will this agreement satisfy everyone?” Serenity asked.

“For now,” a rebel leader said, nodding.

“Until we find something that’s broken,” an army captain said.

“And we’ll work to fix that too,” Serenity said.

*~*

The next morning, she summoned the Crystal to perform an odd task: she spoke to the country in any way that would reach people. She spoke through televisions, through radios, through loudspeakers on the streets. Her voice was heard by millions, and she only hoped that her message would reach everyone:

“Everyone. My name is Serenity. A lot of you have had no idea what has been happening over the past few weeks. And it’s a really long story. It involves nuclear bombs, and invaders from another world. It’s very strange, I know, but I’ve been facing strange things for most of my life now. I’m Sailor Moon. And I’m your new queen. My soldiers and I have been working hard to get rid of the threat to our world, and we think we’ve finally finished the job. There’s been a lot of fighting here in Tokyo for weeks now, and because of that the Diet was dissolved and the Emperor stepped down from the throne in favor of me. I hope I can do a good job. And I need your help to do it. To start, I need everyone to stop fighting. You know who you are. Agreements have been reached, and we have a new government beginning soon. We want as many people on board with this as possible, and if you aren’t… well. I want you to come and see me. We can talk.

“I want everyone to be happy. Can you do that for me? Can we try to live in peace with each other? I really hope we can. And I really hope you come and talk to me. You’ll have questions. And I can help. Let me help.

“Thanks, everyone.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be the last. Thanks!


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An extended thank you will be at the end. Another note, my use of “keiretsu” and “zaibatsu” is simply due to the fact that I don’t believe the English translations hold as much weight as the original Japanese titles. Enjoy.

“If I had known that swearing fealty would have taken so long...” Serenity muttered, stalking onto the shrine grounds one week after her speech to the country. Luna, Jupiter and Venus followed at a respectful distance, their faces clearly stating their wariness of her mood. Most of her time in the last few days had been split between assessing the state of affairs around Japan, and having audiences with officials from the previous empire, and _keiretsu_. She expected the next week would be much of the same, with _zaibatsu,_ and influential and elite families taking up most of her time.

“It can’t have been too bad today,” Michiru commented.

Serenity side-eyed her; she was jealous of her friends’ abilities to power down to their civilian selves. Michiru teasing her didn’t help to improve her mood. “Tell you what. Next week, you can take eight hours of oaths and try to find time to sort out the treasury every day, and we’ll compare notes.”  
Michiru laughed. “Poor thing. Well, everyone else is inside; we were just waiting for you before things really got started.”

Serenity made a face. Michiru put a comforting arm around her and led her inside. She looked over her shoulder at the other three and winked. They smiled with relief; Jupiter and Venus powered down before following after Luna. Hotaru was braiding Usagi’s pigtails, while the princess gossiped about her 30th century friends. Setsuna had disappeared to the time-space continuum, but Serenity knew she would know her place in the new regime. Serenity took her place next to Endymion while Minako, Makoto, and Michiru took theirs around the room. Luna sat next to Artemis. Serenity drew a breath, and then nodded. “Alright, everyone. As some of you already know, I’m overwhelmed with how much there is to do, so... it’s time to figure out what your roles are going to be.”

“Mine’s pretty straightforward,” Usagi chirped. “I’m supposed to look adorable and endearing, and always have my way, and never have to go to school.”

“Nice try, squirt,” Serenity stuck her tongue out.

“And here we were hoping that you _wouldn’t_ turn out to be like your mother,” Luna bemoaned, though her eyes sparkled in amusement. It was Usagi’s turn to stick her tongue out.

“I believe I already volunteered as medical advisor,” Ami spoke up. “Mother would be of assistance, I’m sure. We spoke the other day when I assisted in her field hospital... things are looking much better as utility repairs are being done.”

Serenity nodded, and Endymion wrote that down. The others looked at the ceiling, or the floor, depending on their natures, in consternation. “Y’know, Ami-chan’s the only one with real experience for a real advisory position...” Makoto commented. “I dunno what I could do to help, besides being a personal chef.”

Endymion covered Serenity’s mouth with one hand when she started to squeak with excitement. “While I’m sure Usako appreciates that... There’s always food regulation and agriculture. You’d work with Ami in health and welfare.”

The two women smiled at one another, and nodded. “Sounds fine with me. And don’t count me out on the chef comment, I’m sure Hiro and I can keep everyone well-fed. Even if it’s just with a snack,” she winked.

Inwardly, Serenity winced at the reminder of her friends’ lovers. She’d forgotten to see to their welfare, as she had with her brother, but she knew that her friends had known there were more important things going on. If Makoto knew he was safe, then he was safe. Instead, she turned to Haruka. “Would you be interested in transportation and infrastructure?”

The older woman pursed her lips. “Infrastructure, not so much... but I guess that’s what ministers are for. I’d be your best bet for meteorology too.”

“I can help there. You know how I get when there’s a storm coming,” Makoto added.

Endymion wrote these down as well. Michiru shrugged when Serenity looked at her. “Cultural appreciation? It feels so silly, compared to agriculture or health and welfare, but I have no other specializations... I’m willing to help wherever it’s necessary.”

“I might get you on the treasury, just as payback for earlier,” Serenity told her, smiling.

The other woman bowed her head in acknowledgement. Between Haruka and Michiru, the two had been dealing with more money for most of their lives than any of the others. Serenity had confidence that they would be able to reorganize funds better than she could--Endymion had handled their accounts, before. He started to write, and then said, “Education in general... There was a sports and culture and education ministry. You and Haruka could collaborate.”

Michiru thought about it, and then nodded. “As Haruka said, that’s what ministers are for.”

“Setsuna has full-time guardianship of all of time and space, I feel bad pinning more on her... Hotaru, do you have any input?” Serenity asked.

Hotaru shook her head. “I would like to finish university first. Let me see what you need a specialist in when we’re done, that may affect how I want to change my education focus.”

“Fair enough.”

Minako sighed dramatically. “I’m no use anywhere. Call me if you want a reality show.”

Ami rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “Minako, when we were looking at the damages done by the bombs, you immediately pointed out financial centers. You could overlook the economics and trade department.”

“Oh geez, that sounds like work!”

“It is work, Mina,” Artemis said. “Important work.”

“I’m so much better at bossing people around...”

Haruka rolled her eyes. “You’ll be bossing people around. Again, ministers who know what they’re doing will help.”

“UGH,” Minako flopped back on the floor. “FINE. If the economy crashes because of this, I’m totally blaming you guys.”

“It may help that the world economy is essentially starting from scratch,” Ami giggled.

“I have faith in you, Mina-chan,” Serenity told her.

“You’re the only one,” Artemis muttered. Minako whipped one of Rei’s pillows at him in outrage. Luna elbowed him.

“And apparently I will be on hand with financial reports,” Michiru added.

“Your fault if this blows up,” Minako reminded them.

Endymion smiled as he wrote. “I’m very sure we’ll have a hand in this as well. And as chief royal bodyguard, it would be beneficial to have several workers you trust to be in charge. I’m sure you’ll find some way to get out of doing most of the work.”

“HEY!”

The others laughed. Serenity’s eyes lit up. “Oh! What about a military advisor?”

“In all the free time I’ll have?”

She shrugged. “I can only oversee so much in the public security sector.”

“I was going to have a hand in that as well,” Endymion told her.

She nodded. “It’s not something any of us will take lightly, but if the three of us keep an invested interest...”

Minako shrugged. “Whatever. Put me where you need me, it’ll work out.”

Serenity looked to Rei. She threw her hands up. “I’m like Minako. I can be the national spiritual adviser, but I assume that responsibility comes with lots of free time.”

Endymion looked at his list. He’d written down the former ministries of the government as well, and said, “Well... Makoto’s going to have one eye on agriculture, but the fishing and forestry will have a gap... We’ll need someone on that.”

“Oh yes, that sounds right up my alley of expertise,” Rei muttered sarcastically.

“With all of the spiritual landmarks we have in this country?” He asked.

She opened her mouth to reply, then stopped and considered it. He nodded. “As I thought.”

“Fine. I’ll give it a go.”

“What’s left?” Hotaru asked.

He looked over the list again. “Internal affairs, foreign affairs, finance... labor...”

“Fun,” Hotaru made a face. “I’ll think about it.”

“Haruka and Michiru tend to handle a lot of foreign affairs, in my time,” Usagi spoke up. “They weren’t around when I was a kid because of it. Diplomatic relations and things like that. I only really met them when I went back for good. If that’s something you want to consider.”

They shrugged, but Serenity could tell they liked that idea more than their current jobs. “When the time comes, we’ll discuss it,” she told them. “Right now I think we need to focus internally before we do any outreach.”

“Most countries probably feel the same,” Usagi said. “If anything I’m sure you’ll get diplomats in a few weeks, from countries who heard the news over the radio, but I wouldn’t worry about it yet.”

“We can handle any primary diplomatic missions,” Luna said, indicating she and Artemis.

“We’re fairly good at it by now,” he added wryly.

Serenity smiled. “I appreciate it, but I really need you two at my right and left hands for now. If we’re going to set things up right, you’re the ones who knew how the old kingdom ran best. I’ll need that.”

Luna wore an odd expression. “Usagi-chan, I never thought I’d hear you say that you needed me...”

Voices were heard shouting outside. Everyone tensed. Makoto and Haruka stood, and went to the door to see. They visibly relaxed. “It’s Minako’s parents, and Ikuko. Chibiusa’s with them.”

Usagi pursed her lips. “Shit.”

“Language,” Serenity chided absently. “Just stay in here, I’ll go out and see.”

Outside, she hugged her mother tightly. Chibiusa clung to her, clearly traumatized by the long separation from her parents. Serenity managed to work around the child to hug Minako’s parents as well, thanking them for taking care of her family. Ikuko looked a little better off than the last time she’d seen her, but grief was still etched in her face. “Have you seen Shingo?” She asked.

“I saw him just last week... about ten days ago. He was part of the resistance,” Serenity said. “Why, when was the last time you saw him?”

“Longer than that.”

An icicle struck Serenity’s heart. “I called for a halt in the fighting. From the looks of things I was obeyed...”

“We heard there was still some resistance north of here,” Minako’s mother offered tentatively.

Serenity hugged Chibiusa tighter to her. “Ami-chan?” She called.

The blue-haired woman came jogging up. “What’s wrong?”

“Your mother’s field hospital. How... recent were some of the resistance fighters’ wounds?”

Ami shook her head, thinking. “I wasn’t in more than two of the tents...  Recent enough, but I wouldn’t say older than a week.”

“And they’re still active?”

“Yes, why? Is there a problem?”

“Maybe. I need you to go to her. Shingo’s missing, and apparently some people thought it was a good idea to ignore the order to cease fire. I need you to find out everything you can from the wounded there.”

Ami paled, and hurried to do as she was asked.

*~*

She called them to the field hospital later that night. Serenity ignored the stares, bows, and whispers around her as she strode through the camp, her skirts hiked up out of the mud, and flanked by Uranus and Saturn; she threw the tent flaps back to reveal her brother being tended to by Mercury and one of the camp nurses. “Shingo,” Serenity said disapprovingly.

He grinned feebly at her as Mercury cleaned his head wound. His skin was gray from the pain. “Hey, sis. Good job, we’re winning...”

“Shingo, this is _exactly_ the sort of thing I was hoping to stop when I called for a halt in the fighting,” she scolded, moving to sit next to him. “Mama’s out of her mind with worry, and look at you! Battered half to death!”

“Should see the other guy.”

“I don’t want to. I have half a mind to let you lay there and suffer,” she sighed. “But I can’t, because I love you--even if you’re still an obnoxious little brat who doesn’t listen to his sister. And I need you clear-headed so you can tell me why there’s still resistance.”

She summoned the Crystal. Mercury pulled the nurse back while she worked. A wash of silver-white light spread over Shingo’s body, and he sighed, his skin color returning to normal and his muscles relaxing. Serenity smoothed his hair as the Crystal faded again. “I can’t fix it all,” Serenity told Mercury, not looking up at her. “Too much at once, and his body won’t heal as strong as it needs to be.”

“He’ll be in better shape than he was before, Your Majesty,” the nurse stammered.

Shingo’s eyes opened. “Whoa. You have that kind of power _all the time_?”

“It’s contained inside me, yes.”

“No wonder you’re such a hyperactive ditz.”

“Brat,” Serenity chided, but her heart wasn’t in it.

“Hey,” he noticed the worry on her face. “I’m fine, Sis. Better than fine now.”

She ruffled his hair. “Tell me about the fight.”

Shingo sighed. “We’ve heard that there were problems with breakaway factions of the military, or with people who have decided they don’t want to submit to your rule. Some people feel that your taking power is a callback to the War and the military rule.”

Her blood went icy with rage. Shingo must have seen something on her face, because he said, “That’s why we needed to do something, Sis, because they’re wrong.”

“I should have done something, not you. How many...”

“Mostly like me, a few worse off... but no one was killed.”

“That’s good.”

She stared off for a bit, thinking. If there were still pockets of resistance, they might whip up others into frenzy, and she’d have a full-blown war on her hands. They couldn’t afford that. She had to do something.

*~*

“I won’t allow it!” Rei and Haruka shouted.

“Too bad,” Serenity snapped. She stood, shoving herself away from the table. She stalked around the table to glare up at Haruka. Belatedly, she realized that the effect wasn’t nearly as impressive as she’d wanted it to be, with the ten or so inches difference between them. She looked at Rei, who was closer in height but it still wasn’t the same. She huffed. “Like I told everyone else. If I rule, then I rule. I’m making decisions, now why is no one listening to me?”

“Maybe it’s because you’re making all the dumb decisions, idiot,” Rei told her.

“How is quelling a rebellion a dumb decision?”

“The last time you tried that, you got shot!”

“Kitten, we need to do this rationally.”

“I _am_ doing this rationally! Being irrational means abusing the power of the Crystal and changing everyone’s minds for them!” Serenity gasped, and covered her mouth.

Rei and Haruka blinked at her. “That’s... that’s what Usagi’s mother did, isn’t it?” Rei asked.

Serenity twisted her mouth into a frown. “Yes, but... I was hoping to not do it that way...”

“It might be the only way,” Haruka said.

“No! No, I won’t force people to bow to me. That’s not how it should be done! I want to talk to them, rationally! I want them to understand and accept me!”

“So what, you’re going to visit every town, every city, every backwater hermit-house in this country until everyone knows you and accepts you as queen?!” Rei snapped.

Serenity looked at her. “You know I will. And I can’t do it alone, Rei.”

Rei pursed her lips and said nothing for several tense moments. Then she sighed exasperatedly. “Fine. You’re going to do it whether I like it or not... Haruka, let’s split everyone up. Endymion will stay here to receive the audiences Her Royal Pain-in-the-Rump will be ignoring while we frolic along the mountainsides, and he’ll need a guard.”

Haruka pushed her hair back in annoyance. “So that’s why you’re so eager to go... you just don’t want to deal with the _zaibatsu_.”

Serenity merely smiled her thanks.

*~*

And so, for almost a month, Serenity went from town to town, speaking with anyone they met along the way and turning skeptics into loyal citizens. Almost all of them, anyway. A few would need action to convince them, but Serenity assured them that there was enough work to be done that they would be able to make a sound decision about her character in due time.

Usagi came with them, hoping that the increased distance between her and baby Chibiusa would allow for longer stretches of time spent in the present. Venus and Mars accompanied them, as did Saturn and Uranus. When Serenity had pressed her, Uranus merely said that she didn’t trust Serenity out of her sight for more than a few minutes, and that Michiru had needed some time to herself. Saturn was cheerful about coming along, saying that it was fun to finally be involved and invested full-time in Sailor business. Serenity hoped she still felt that way in a few years.

In some towns, they were able to send word ahead to announce Serenity’s arrival. In those cases, the towns and villages were able to call in any outliers, so they wouldn’t have to go door-to-door in the countryside. The few times that they did these one-on-ones usually resulted in meetings that went longer than the larger town meetings. Serenity would become actively invested in the peoples’ lives, asking specific questions and inquiring about what she could do better as a ruler that would help them. Her guardians would practically have to drag her away, but the result was always a sympathetic and loyal citizen, with promises to help change the minds of any neighbors who doubted her.

Finally, after four weeks of traveling, they returned to Tokyo. Serenity was pleasantly surprised to see Endymion handling ambassador requests with the delicacy of a practiced politician. “Mamo-chan, I don’t know what I’d do without you,” she told him when he finished catching her up on what had happened in her absence; she kissed him thoroughly.

“And I take it your progress went well?” He asked.

She nodded. “There’s a lot of work to be done, but I think... I think we have most everyone on board. And I didn’t have to use the Crystal on anyone.”

The silence in the room pressed down on her. She realized that, after so many long weeks of people talking at her, yelling, nagging, begging, and just generally communicating around her...

She was alone. She had a moment to herself, for the first time since before the disaster. Endymion was there, but not as someone who needed her. He was with her. Experiencing this first moment of quiet after so long.

Her rock.

The weight of everything that had happened over the past months crashed over her. The disaster, the destruction, losing everything they had once known, her friends being hurt, her family being torn apart, her father’s death, being shot at herself...

Serenity wrapped herself in her husband’s arms and cried. Neither said a word; he held her and stroked her hair while she cried out her sorrow, her frustration, and even her joy that the worst had not come to pass.

She was alive.

They all were.

And it felt so, so good to experience it.

*~*

“Well?” Venus asked.

They were gathered at the top of the shrine steps. Venus and Jupiter lounged on the stairs themselves, with Saturn sitting next to them and holding Junpei’s hand. Hiro stood to one side, looking out of place next to Luna and Artemis. Mars, Mercury, and Neptune sat on the wall, with Uranus behind them. Sailor Moon gave them all a cheerful wave. “I’ll tell Puu you all say hello, and that you’ll be expecting regular reports from her now.”

“I’m sure she knows that,” Serenity said, shifting Chibiusa to sit higher on her hip.

“I’ll remind her.”

“Behave yourself,” Endymion told her.

“I always do,” Sailor Moon made a face.

“Tell your Senshi about what you did here. Maybe they’ll listen now,” Saturn told her.

The princess shrugged. “We’ll see about that... more like they’ll be impressed I snuck out and played least-in-sight with them for so long.”

Serenity held out her hand. Sailor Moon clasped it. “Thank you, Chibiusa,” she said. “For everything.”

Sailor Moon stuck out her tongue. “Odango atama. Just don’t let this happen again, I don’t want to have to come back and kick your butt for causing us problems.”

Serenity laughed, and wiped away a tear. “Get out of here, squirt.”

Sailor Moon took out her Time Key and thrust it into the sky. “Oh, before I go... What’re you going to do about the palace?”

Serenity smiled. “We’ll take care of it.”

A pink column of light temporarily blinded everyone, and then it, and Sailor Moon, were gone. Serenity hugged Chibiusa, who burbled in confusion. “You grow up to be a good girl, just like she did,” she murmured into her daughter’s hair.

“So what are we going to do about the palace?” Venus asked.

Luna touched her chin, thinking. “And there’s location to think about...”

Serenity sniffed, and wiped her eyes quickly. “Well... Obviously I’ve never done this before, but I had... I had one idea.”

Chibiusa screeched when she was handed over to her father. Serenity summoned the Crystal, and closed her eyes. She took a breath and let it out slowly. ‘ _I wish for a place to raise our daughter in safety. Where no harm can come to her within its walls, or her daughter after her, or her descendents after. I wish for a harmonious place where we can live in peace and prosperity, a symbol for our people to know that we are entering a new, prosperous era, with rulers they can trust and love. I wish for a place of hope, from which the Moon Kingdom would be proud to call its capital. I wish..._ ’

The Crystal blazed, and the air sparkled. The ground trembled slightly. Venus and Neptune glanced at each other nervously, hoping this minor earthquake wouldn’t scare anyone to a dangerous level again. Jupiter stood and pointed. “Look!”

The burned out area of the government quarter shone as pillars of crystal thrust themselves into the air. The moon, suddenly full overhead, flared with silver light; the sky darkened as a pillar of silver light descended and hit the newly born crystal spears. Everyone threw their arms over their faces to block out the light. Chibiusa wailed.

And as suddenly as it began, it stopped. Serenity swooned, and Mercury rushed to catch her as the Crystal vanished. Jupiter pointed again, silently this time.

Where the moonbeam had struck stood the tallest crystal pillar in the group. They could make out a darker spot inside the top. Wordlessly, Mercury took one side of Serenity, and Mars the other, and everyone walked to the new palace.

Within a few blocks Serenity was able to walk on her own again. The monument was a clear destination, and one that people had noticed already. Their group soon became the leaders of a parade of people streaming to the new Crystal Palace. A crowd had gathered at the monument by the time they reached it. Serenity hesitated in front of so many people, but strode forward, her head held high.

She felt a new weight on her head as she crossed the threshold between two crystal pillars. Reaching up, she felt the curves and swoops of metal in her new crown. She swallowed hard, and turned to face everyone. Endymion, still holding Chibiusa, stood at her side, with her guardians flanking them on either side. She raised her arms in welcome to the crowd, and called in a clear voice, “From here, the Crystal Palace of Tokyo, we will begin again. With love and determination, we will rise up, and we will prosper once more. I’ll need your help. Citizens of Tokyo, will you help me?”

There was a murmur across the crowd. Serenity felt her mouth go dry with nerves. Finally, one person shouted, “Long live Queen Serenity!”

Her heart swelled. Other voices joined in, until the entire crowd, and possibly the entire city, cheered.

“Hail Queen Serenity! Long live the Queen!”

Fin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((Thank you so much for everyone who has stuck with me over this very long story, both in terms of worth count and time. I appreciate all of the hits, the reviews, the shares, the fic recs, everything, you all really are what kept me going when I would have just given up on what turned out to be an enormous effort in terms of research and dedication to writing. And I’m about to do it all over again, since today marks the start of National Novel Writing Month! :)
> 
> I know some of the pacing in these last two chapters has been a little choppy, but the recovery portion of a rebellion is the part that people skip over for a reason: it’s boring and wordy! Maybe in a few months when the fandom gets going again with the new anime revival I’ll take a look at revising this, fixing the pacing in some areas and cutting down on some others.
> 
> Thank you all so much again, and I hope you enjoyed it! I hope I was able to grab as many loose ends as possible and tie this up in a satisfactory way! Thank you thank you thank you, and happy reading everyone!!))


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